Broken and Shattered
by Loser Got Lucky
Summary: SEQUEL TO Love Doesn't Make You Crazy! One year later, and Sora's finally ready to leave the sanctuary of the Asylum. But the course of true love never ran smooth, and Sora and Kairi's troubles aren't as out of site as they thought... Sokai
1. A Brand New Life

**A/N: Hey there everyone! **

**I bet you're all surprised by this! Yes, your computer isn't lying to you; I'm writing a sequel to "Love Doesn't Make You Crazy!" YAY! **

**I think this story will be far more angsty than the last one, since I'm putting both of the two main characters through some crap, though one slightly more than the other…*Bugs Bunny voice* Ain't I a stinker?**

**Hehe, anyways, here's hoping you all enjoy it! ****To those who haven't read LDMYC, you don't necessarily need to, but it will help you understand this better. **

**Disclaimer:**** I didn't own Kingdom Hearts before, I don't own it now and odds are I won't own it in the foreseeable future. *sigh* Why must you torment me, Disney and Square-Enix?!?!**

**.xXx.**

It was winter.

Although you wouldn't be able to tell unless you were a resident of Destiny Islands. Only the locals could detect the small difference in temperature, going from wearing shorts and tank tops to jeans and t-shirts, although there was still no need for heavy coats, hats, scarf's or gloves. Heck, half the people had never seen snow.

A brisk wind flew over the main island, rustling palm trees and small bushes, covered in multi-coloured flowers, even though it was only mid-January. A crimson-haired girl brushed her hair from her face impatiently as she walked to Destiny Islands Institute of the Mentally Ill, as she had almost every weekend and most weekdays for the past year. She was dressed in dark denim jeans, which flared slightly at the bottom, and red converses. She was wearing a red tank-top on the top half of her body, and a short white jacket, with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. A white headband helped hold her hair back, and there was a white bangle around her left wrist.

Kairi Utari brushed her hair behind one ear, showing the bud of an iPod wedged into it. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets, and her head was bent against the sudden breeze. But what you wouldn't expect from the girl was the huge smile plastered on her face, as it had been all day. Her best friend Rikku was also in a good mood, giggling and smiling all day, occasionally blurted out how excited she was, and clapping her hands together like a seal before her boyfriend Gippal grabbed them to make her stop. Kairi had somehow managed to refrain from such childish outbursts…but she sure did feel like celebrating!

Last year, Kairi Utari had started working at Destiny Island's Asylum, her mother finding her work there since she was a doctor in the hospital that shared the grounds. She'd enjoyed the work a lot, meeting all the new people, such as her boss, Aerith. But she hadn't expected to make such good friends with one of the inmates…and maybe have their friendship bloom into something more…

Sora Hikari was a sixteen year-old boy who had found solace at the Asylum, coping with mental issues as well as a disturbing past. With Kairi's help, Sora learned to deal with his mental issues, as well as face his past and walk away from it unscathed. It had taken almost a year for him to finally shake off the shackles that had been on him since his childhood, but now he was finally ready to be free. And Kairi was going to meet him.

.xXx.

Grinning as the Asylum came into view, Kairi ran forward to the large gates. When she first came to the Asylum, it had seemed oppressive to her, large and dark and looming, full of locked doors and disembodied screams. Now, a year later, it was comforting and welcoming, and the people inside weren't crazy or frightening; they were just confused people who needed someone to help guide them back to the light. Slowing to a walk as she reached the gates, she pressed her thumb to the intercom button and waited a few moments. A small click, and a voice came from the box.

"Hello, this is Destiny Islands Asylum, how can I help you?"

"Hey Cloud, It's Kairi, can I come in?"

"Kairi? Nope, not ringing any bells here. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

Kairi giggled, leaning against the iron bars to look up to the reception room. She could just about see the blond receptionist with the phone, his feet propped up on the table.

"Cloud, are you joking? I can't believe it, I must be hallucinating!"

"Then I'd better open the gate so I can check you in," He said quietly, a small tone of joking in his voice. Cloud was a very serious character, and it wasn't often he joked, let alone smiled. The gates slid open, and Kairi continued up the drive, whistling. She pushed through the glass front doors and smiled at Cloud. Instead of just nodding like he usually did, he smiled at her.

"It's a big day, huh?"

She nodded, grinning, and ran up the stairs to the left of the welcome desk. She stopped her ascension at the second floor, known to the orderlies and nurses as floor "B." She breathed in deeply as she stepped into the square waiting room, the walls painted a calming lilac, a large window to the left showing the gardens owned by the Asylum, and down through a few barren fields, where the beaches and ocean could be seen twinkling in the midday sun. To her right was a white painted door; Aerith's office. Directly in front of her was the corridor that lead to the five rooms of the patients who were on this floor. All of them had moved on over the past year apart from one.

Kairi knocked gently on Aerith's door, and poked her head inside, smiling. Aerith was the same as she had been when Kairi met her last summer; soft, gentle and kindly. Her long brown hair was tied into a plait, with a large red ribbon holding it in place. She was wearing a red and white top, which tied around her neck, and cascaded over a pink and white skirt. Brown boots were on her feet. She was reading a file whilst drinking her favourite tea when Kairi knocked. Now that the girl stepped in, she smiled broadly at her, and placed her mug on the desk. Kairi sat in one of the padded chairs in front of Aerith, and sighed happily. Aerith giggled at her, then reached under her desk and brought out a pot of pills, as well as a prescription.

"Is everything all ready Aerith?"

"Yes. Sora's Aunt is ready for him whenever he's ready to go there. I assume that he'll be leaving today with you?"

"If he wants to, but that's the idea!"

"Kairi, you do know that Sora may find it hard to adjust to the outside world after spending so long inside our walls, don't you?"

Kairi frowned slightly, but a confident look grew on her face. "I know, but that's what I'm for right? I've been helping him since we've met, and I'll keep helping him as long as he needs me."

Aerith smiled warmly at Kairi, and then lowered her eyes to her desk and to the prescription in front of her. As she filled it in, Kairi sat patiently in her seat, her eyes roaming the room. It was a lovely room, with a large window taking up nearly all of the wall behind the head psychiatrist, showing a spectacular view of the main city of destiny Islands, the ocean as always glittering in the distance. Back in the office, it was a light yellow colour, with the filing cabinets holding all the patients files lined up against one wall. The desk took up most of the room, but there was a framed photo of some of Aerith's family members on it, as well as a tall vase filled with sunflowers. It was a happy room to be in, and one of Kairi's favourite places in the Asylum.

With a flourish, Aerith signed her name at the bottom of the prescription and handed it to Kairi, along with the pot of pills. "Ok Kairi, in that pot there are 150 pills. Those will last Sora exactly two months. After that, take this prescription to the pharmacy and ask for a refill. The medication will be free until Sora turns eighteen, but hopefully he won't need it when he's that old.

"Oh, don't look so worried Kairi," Aerith said hastily, noticing Kairi's suspicious look as she shook the pot slightly. "It's only anti-anxiety medication. It'll help keep him calm in public places, though it will be easier for him if over the next couple of months he had someone with him when he went out, though I imagine he wouldn't venture out by himself anyway. You can tell him all this with his aunt later, and give him the prescription. Just be sure to remind him towards the end of the two months; you know how forgetful he can be," She finished, smiling sweetly. Kairi giggled, nodding, and rose to her feet. "I'll leave you two to go then. I've got a lot of work to be getting on with, and I'll see you at work on Saturday, ok?"

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Kairi asked. Aerith smiled and shook her head, looking a little sad.

"I took him for a meal last night. We said our goodbyes then. It's…going to be hard saying goodbye to him. He's been here for so long and he's grown on me." Aerith wiped her eyes on a tissue, and smiled sadly at Kairi. "It's easier like this."

"He'll come and visit, I'm sure," Kairi said soothingly. Aerith nodded, and Kairi left, closing the door quietly behind her.

.xXx.

Breathing out heavily, Kairi pocketed the pills and prescription, and hurried down the corridor to Sora's room. He was the last person, right at the end. In all the time he's been at the Asylum, he'd not had a roommate. He'd confessed to Kairi once that it got a little lonely, but after hearing that Kairi and Rikku made more frequent visits. And it's not like he was cut off from the outside world; He had a TV, a CD player, complete with tons of CD's and plenty of juicy horror books (Thanks to Kairi, who was an avid Stephen King fan.) She'd brought him loads of posters to brighten the walls; band posters, movie posters and any other poster she could get her hands on.

She knocked on the door quietly, then pushed it open and stepped into the room. Sora was bent over his bed, stuffing a few more things into the suitcase Aerith had lent him to cart his stuff to his new home. He hadn't changed much over the year either; he was taller, slightly more muscular because of more frequent trips to the gym with Riku and Gippal and his hair was just as big and bushy as before. He was wearing jeans and a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. White trainers were on his feet and Kairi could see the thick silver chain against his tanned skin where his crown pendant hung. She felt a small thrill deep inside of her whenever she saw that; she'd brought it for him for his birthday last year, and he'd never taken it off.

He turned as he heard the door click shut, and smiled warmly at Kairi. His blue shirt matched his eyes perfectly. He clicked the lid closed on his suitcase, and pulled it off his bed. The CD Player and TV, as well as some of his bigger posters were being left for the time being; he'd come up with his aunt in a few days to pick up what was left.

"You ready to get going?" Kairi asked, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking on the balls of her feet.

"You bet! Let's go meet this aunt of mine!" he said cheerily, his smile widening to his goofy and charming grin that made Kairi's heart do somersaults. He was actually _excited_ to be meeting her. It wasn't that long ago that he cringed at the idea of meeting anyone new.

"Well, let's make tracks!" Kairi said happily, bouncing up and down slightly. "Do you have the address?" Sora nodded, showing her the back of his hand, where an address was scribbled. Kairi lent forward to read it, and she gasped, her eyes widening slightly.

"Kai? What is it?" He asked anxiously, turning his hand to read the address as well. "Seems fine to me."

"No it's not that," she said, kneading her eyes with her hands, before grinning at Sora. "I know where that street is. It's about a five minute walk from my house!"

"Seriously?! What are the chances?"

"I know!" Kairi said happily, holding the door open for Sora to slip through with his case. It didn't have wheels, so it looked like he'd be carrying it old fashion styled for a few blocks. As they approached the stairs, Sora paused and looked at Aerith's door, biting his lip. Kairi followed his gaze, and rested her hand on his arm.

"Do you wanna go talk to her?"

"…No. We did all that last night. It'll only make it harder." He continued to look at the door for a few seconds, before sighing and beginning his descent down the stairs. "it's easier this way," he said, looking back at Kairi. He grinned, and missed a step walking down, tripping. He yelped, but grabbed the rail and stopped him self plummeting down the stairs. Giggling helplessly, Kairi hurried down to him.

"Sora, you bum! You gotta keep your eyes open!" she said between giggles, gripping her belly as she struggled to get air back in her lungs. Sora blew a few strands of his chocolate locks off his forehead, and began lugging the case down the stairs again. Still breaking out in giggles every now and then, Kairi followed. She wouldn't normally find it that funny, but she was so happy that Sora was leaving this place for good as a patient just made everything seem brighter and positive.

Panting, Sora dropped his case on the floor of the lobby, and planted his hands on his knees, doubling over to get air back into his lungs. Kairi skipped up to him and patted his shoulder.

"Got a long way to go yet, buddy!" She sang, going over to the glass front doors and holding them open for him. Rolling his eyes, Sora once again gripped the case with his hands and waddled over to Kairi.

"You be good now, Sora," Cloud said, his feet still propped up on the front desk. "But don't be a stranger now."

"No worries Cloud," Sora panted, smiling at Cloud over his shoulder. He shook his head to indicate Kairi, "With this one twenty-four seven, I bet'cha I'll be back in in a week. Two tops."

"I'll hold you to it," Cloud said, smiling slightly. "Take care of yourself, kid."

"See you on Saturday, Cloud," Kairi chirruped brightly, waving to him through the glass door as it swung back into place. He raised his hand in farewell, then picked up the ringing phone and got back to work.

Sighing, Kairi jogged to catch up with Sora, who was already half way up the drive. She fell into step at his side, her arms clamped behind her back as they walked together companionably. Kairi input the code for the front gate, and they both slipped through as it grated open. Sora placed the case back on the floor as the gate slid shut again. He turned and placed his hands on the cold iron bars, gripping them and looking up at the Asylum with a mixture of longing and sadness. Kairi stepped forward and put her arm around his waist, looking up at the Asylum as well.

"You think you're going to be ok?" She asked, her eyes not leaving the building. Sora nodded, making a small sound of agreement, and removed one hand from the bars and put it around Kairi's slim waist. They'd been on this comfortable touching term ever since the summer rock concert the previous year, although they'd never kissed again. It was an unspoken agreement between them, not taking their relationship any further, not while Sora was still in the Asylum.

Squeezing her briefly, Sora withdrew his arm from around her. His hand lingered on the bars for a moment longer, as if he could never let go, but his fingers slid from the metal and gripped the suitcase handle again.

"Let's go," he said quietly. Kairi nodded, and together they kept going towards Sora's new home.

.xXx.

"Kairi, how much further?" Sora whined, his forehead slick with sweat.

"Not far now," Kairi said patiently, swinging her hands as she walked.

"You said that ten minutes ago!" Sora protested, looking up at her. She giggled, and took the suitcase from him.

"Honesty Sora! It's not even that heavy!" She said, shaking her head as she lugged the case up the street. Sora sighed, pressing his hands to his back, then cracking his cramping fingers.

"You say that now, young Miss Utari, But you wait till you've lugged it a good few blocks! I guarantee that you'll be feeling the strain by then!" Kairi giggled, and stopped, looking at Sora with bright eyes, a smile growing on her lips.

"Well, I'll have to take your word for it, since we're here!" Sora's jaw dropped, and Kairi laughed, and patted his cheek. "I would've asked a while back, but you looked so into it, that I thought I'd leave you to it!" Sora remained looking dumbstruck for a few more moments, his eyes focused on Kairi smug face, then a small evil smile began to grow on his face.

"You're so dead, Kairi," he growled, and launched himself at her. Squealing, she pulled open the gate behind her and fled into the front garden of a nice, two-storey home, with white-washed walls like most of the houses around this area. It had a wide porch, with a small wooden bench against the wall, with neat borders of flowers against the porch. A small palm tree waved lazily in the middle of the lawn.

Sora reached out to grab Kairi, but she put on a quick burst of speed and dodged his fingers. She flew across the lawn, and grabbed the trunk of the palm tree to catapult her back in the direction she'd come. But Sora was too smart for her; as she stuck her hand out to grab the tree, and spin back the way she came, Sora flung his arm out, and she ran right into him.

Laughing triumphantly, Sora quickly closed his arms around her waist, and twirled her around, swinging her off her feet. She squealed loudly, pulling at Sora's hands to make him let go, but he linked his fingers together and continued to swing her around.

"That'll show you Kai-!"

"I do hope I'm not interrupting something?" A mild voice said, sounding amused at the two teenagers antics.

Sora abruptly stopped swinging Kairi around, and set her on the ground, where she staggered slightly. He looked up at the front door of the house, which was now open, and a young woman stood on the porch, her arms crossed and a small smile on her face.

Sora stared up at her wordlessly. She looked so much like his mother; Her long brown hair was freely flowing around her shoulders and partly down her back, Her clear blues eyes watching him. She was wearing a light blue open jacket thing, which flowed down to her ankles. A black tank top was underneath her jacket, and she was wearing mid-thigh length black shorts. She had brown boots on her feet, and blue sleeves on her forearms. She gave off an aura of kindness, and as her eyes roamed over Sora's face, her smiled grew wider. She began to approach the two teens.

"I have to say, Sora, you've changed a lot since I last saw you," she said quietly, stopping in front of Sora. He was a lot taller than her, and not that much younger; he was sure that she was in her early to mid twenties; but when she looked up at him, he could see her eyes were similar to his own. A little lighter, perhaps, but they were very similar.

A tear rolled down Rinoa's cheek, and she threw her arms around Sora's shoulders. "I'm so sorry Sora. I'm sorry it's taken so long, but the courts didn't think I'd be able to look after a minor, what with me being so young myself, and oh if I could get my hands on that beast who claims to be your father, oh my god, he's as good as dead, Sora I promise, I've not been a good Aunt to you, but that's all gunna change, you're welcome here for as long as you wish, and I'm so sorry for not helping you…" She babbled into his shoulder, her eyes staring ahead as tears dripped down her cheeks.

Feeling a little awkward, Sora put his arms around her slowly. There was a moment of awkwardness, but it felt right hugging her. A lot more right than hugging his own mother.

After a moment, Rinoa broke the embrace, wiping away her tears and smiling at her nephew. "Well, come along then, in you come. And are you Kairi?" She asked, and Kairi nodded. She held her hand out, and Kairi took it. "A pleasure to meet you, hon. Aerith's told me all about you, and you're welcome here as well." Kairi smiled at her, and went over and grabbed Sora's suitcase, before dragging it up the front steps.

The inside of the house was beautiful, open and light. It was all open plan downstairs, an archway to the left into a living room, the right lead into a sort of leisure room/study, with a thick fluffy rug on the floor, a TV and game system, several bookcases and a computer. Straight ahead by the stairs was another archway that lead into the kitchen and dining room. All the walls were painted a light blue, with wooden flooring in the hall and kitchen area, the carpet in the living room and study a light cream colour. Sora stretched his cramped arms, and looked around the home, still looking slightly awkward. But he liked the feel of the place; it was clean, quiet. There was no feeling of danger here, like at the Asylum. But all the walls that had been closed around him for so long had finally disappeared. It was the most wonderful and uplifting feeling he'd ever experienced.

Rinoa padded down the hall and into the kitchen. There was silence for a few moments, before quiet music could be heard. She poked her head around the archway, and smiled.

"I don't bite you know, Sora. You don't have to feel like you have to tiptoe around me. You're an adult now, and this is your home, if you want it to be. It's as much yours as mine. If you want to unpack, that's cool. Your room is on the far right. It's kinda empty and boring at the minute, but you can do it up however you like, ok?" Sora nodded, and smiled warmly at Rinoa.

"Thanks, uh, Aunt Rinoa?"

"You can just call me Rinoa, hon."

Grabbing the handle of his suitcase, Sora beckoned for Kairi to follow him up the stairs. The upstairs hall was just as light as downstairs, with a small round window right at the top of the stairs, showing the bay. Kairi tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to a door on the far right. Sora dragged his case over and pushed the door open.

It was a decent sized room, slightly bigger than the one he had at the Asylum. The walls were white and bare, and there was wooden flooring underneath his feet. Plain cream drapes hung at the windows, and the large bed had a deep blue quilt on it. Sora grinned as he spied the bed, and threw himself onto it. It was springy and comfortable, a huge improvement on the sagging mattress he'd put up with at the Asylum for a year.

"Right, Kairi, since you made me drag it here, you can unpack for me while I nap," Sora said cheekily, hugging one of the plump pillows to his chest. "You're a peach!"Grumbling, Kairi did as she was asked, knowing that she'd do a better job than Sora would. She unzipped the case and began packing away his things into the drawers, and hanging some things up in the little built-in wardrobe. As she "worked," Sora didn't nap. Instead he watched her flit about, folding his t-shirts and putting them away neatly in the top drawer, her eyes bright and smiling. He loved being around her; she just made everything feel so alive.

"Hey Sora, you didn't tell me you brought some of your posters!" She exclaimed, pulling out some of the smaller ones. "Here, I'll go see if Rinoa's got any blue-tac, then we can stick them up! Oh yeah, I left your underwear. You can do that yourself!"

Giggling, Kairi exited the room. Sora sighed as he pulled himself up from the bed, grabbed handfuls of socks and boxer shorts, and shoved them into an empty drawer. "Job done," he muttered to himself, grinning, and knelt down by the case. He unzipped a compartment in the top of the case, and pulled out a large picture frame. It consisted of three different pictures; the bottom picture was one of all the group at the summer rock concert last year, Sora in the centre and the nine others surrounding him. He could see the discomfort on his own face, the also the pleasure at being surrounded by friends.

The second picture consisted of three people; Kairi, himself and Riku. He'd really hit it off with Riku from the moment they met on the train, and he soon became one of Sora's closest friends. In the picture, Sora was once again in the centre. They'd gone for ice-cream, and Riku had shoved Sora's nose in his cone. There was ice-cream all over him. He had a confused look on his face, Riku looked smug, and Kairi was laughing. Pence had thought it looked like a great photo, so he took and it and gave Sora a copy.

The top picture was by far his favourite. It was a snap of Kairi and himself, one day when they had gone to the park together when it was quiet. Rikku has also been there, but she was the one taking the picture. Kairi was wearing her favourite pink dress, and Sora was wearing his black outfit. They had there arms around each other, Kairi making a small V behind Sora's head with her fingers, and he behind hers. Neither of them knew it until the photo was printed.

Smiling lazily to himself, Sora propped the picture on the small bedside table. As he zipped his now empty case up and slid it under his bed, he heard Kairi thunder up the stairs.

"Sora? I've got some blue-tac, and some tape in case you'd rather use that?" Kairi shouted up the stairs, before throwing the door open.

"Kairi! Shush!" Sora hissed, grinning and putting his finger to his lips. Kairi cocked her head to the side and looked confused, a small confused smile on her lips. "Rinoa might not be used to all the noise. I don't want her throwing me out after five minutes!"

"Sora, Rinoa's a twenty-four year old woman. No doubt she goes out clubbing on weekends. I think she'll be ok with the noise," Kairi said calmly, walking over to Sora and plopping down beside him on the bed. She pulled the stack of posters towards her, and lifted the first one, holding it at an angle. "Ah, _Disturbed_.An excellent band. Where shall we stick this one?"

.xXx.

Rinoa ordered takeaway for the three of them that evening, since she hadn't shopped all week, wanting to wait for Sora so that she could be sure she brought things he liked. It turned out that she was a lot of fun to be around; she was calm and caring, but could joke along with the two teens as well. Sora could tell that she would be a fair guardian, though strict when it came to certain things, like curfews and such.

They spent that evening watching movies, laughing at the funny parts, and crying as they imitated the actors. At around half nine, Kairi announced that she was going to go, since her mom liked her to be home before ten. Rinoa allowed her to use her phone to let her mom know she was on her way.

"See you on Monday Sora!" she said brightly, opening the front door. "You'll be going to school, right?"

"Uh, I think so?" Sora said, scratching the back of his head and looking uncertainly at Rinoa. She was lounging on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on the floor in front of her, and she nodded.

"You, I've signed you up. I don't know your size in clothes so you'll have to go shopping for it all tomorrow. Unless you want me to come with you?" Rinoa said, just as uncertain. Sora nodded, smiling, and turned back to Kairi.

"I will see you on Monday then."

"Ok. I'll get going then," Kairi said, holding Sora's gaze for a few seconds, before closing the door behind her. Sighing, Sora walked back into the main living room. He looked out of the window, and saw Kairi close the front gate, her hands stuffed deep in her jean pockets and her iPod in her ear. Rinoa offered Sora the bowl of popcorn. He sat on the floor next to the bowl and lent against the sofa.

"What are we watching?" He asked calmly, flipping popcorn into his mouth.

"Uh, a comedy I think. The box is over there if you wanna look." There was a few moments of silence before Rinoa as shyly, "Is everything ok?"

"Everything's great," Sora said, turning to look at his aunt, smiling widely. She returned his smile, and put her hand on his shoulder for a moment, before retreating. She didn't want to push things so early on in their relationship. But she was happy to have him around the house. She was happy to see him so at peace, especially since Aerith had told her all about his condition.

"So what's your favourite film Sora?"

"The Dark Knight, hands down."

"Is that the Batman film? I've never seen it."

"Aw man, Rinoa, you haven't lived! I'll borrow it from Kairi and we can watch it if you like. It's an amazing film. It's all about the Batman, obviously, but then the Joker arrives and everything goes haywire in Gotham…"

.xXx.

Kairi shivered as a strong wind blew over her, ruffling her hair and causing it to fly around her face. She pulled her white headband from her crimson hair, and replaced it carefully, making her hair all neat again. She shivered, and checked her iPod for the time. 9:33. She had ages before her mom got mad at her. And her house was only a few more blocks away. She'd be home in no time.

As she walked, her mind wondered to Sora and his new home. Rinoa was a lot kinder than she would have ever thought. And a lot younger too. Not that she was expected some old aged pensioner, but not a young woman who only looked slightly older than Sora. She giggled to herself as she pictured them going out together; people would probably think that they were brother and sister. . .

Pain and darkness erupted in Kairi's face. Yelping loudly, she fell to the ground, her hands leaping out to stop her fall. Pain shot up her arms as they met the pavement and slid along it. Her chin connected with the concrete, and stars danced in her eyes as pain bolted up her jaw. She shakily raised herself up on her arms, and trembling turned to see what had hit her.

A tall dark character stood before her, his hands planted on his hips. A long jacket was covering his silhouette, though his bare arms showed a lot of muscle. A beanie hat was on his head, a heavy combat boots were on his feet.

"You know, I always like seeing a girl on her knees…"

Fear. Cold, icy fear coursed through Kairi, starting at where her heart was, then coursing through the rest of her, as if transported by her blood. She wanted her heart to stop, to stop spreading the fearful poison through her and she became more and more consumed…

"Seifer," she whispered fearfully, her eyes round and popping from her face. A cruel chuckle flooded her ears, and a strong hand closed on her neck, dragging her up from the floor and close to his face. His features came into view, a spiteful sneer playing about his lips, his eyes cold as they regarded the girl he held in his hand. "You actually here by yourself? Where's you performing ape?"

His fist came out of nowhere, and collided with her already tender jaw. She sprawled to the floor again, her hands becoming more scratched and mangled.

"I don't need him. I'm pretty sure I can handle this without him. You know, there are some things guys don't wanna have to share…"

Kairi tried to scramble backwards, her eyes on Seifer's face. This was a nightmare. What the hell had made him do this?

"W-why-?" she choked out, fear cutting off her ability to make understandable words as Seifer closed in on her.

"Because I've been pretty sore for a while, Kairi. I didn't much like the way your boyfriend showed me up last year. It'd be fun to take out my… frustration on him, but I don't wanna bruise my knuckles on the losers ugly face. Besides, after I'm done with you, I'm sure I can find more uses for you…"

Kairi stared up at him? What this what it was about? Sora coming to her aid last year when Seifer and his stoner friend, Rai, had tried to abuse her? Sure, she knew Seifer was big-headed and thought he was the greatest thing to walk the world, but seriously?

"You-you're insane," She muttered venomously. She knew crazy people when she saw them, having worked around them for at least a year, and Seifer was definitely showing signs. He dominative behaviour, the way he was hung up over one tiny detail that was way in the past…

His huge fist grasped her shoulder tightly, and lifted her to eye level. Her round violet eyes pleaded with his, but there was no compassion in the deep orbs of his cold blue eyes…so different from Sora's…

"You're gunna regret sayin' that, beautiful," he growled, his eyes growing to tiny angry slits in his face as his fist pulled back. "Let's see how pretty your doll face is when I'm through with you!"

Kairi finally opened her mouth to scream, as she should have done to begin with, but it was too late. His fist sped towards her face, and pain erupted from her face.

He threw her to the ground and began to kick and punch all of her he could reach. She curled herself into a ball, screwed her eyes shut and tried to scream, though nothing came out. Everything was pain, noise. She couldn't take it much longer…As she heard a loud crack cut through the night air like a gunshot, she caved under the sudden blinding pain in her arm. She surrendered to the waiting darkness, and everything finally began quiet and peaceful as she descended deep inside her heart, where no-one could hurt her.

.xXx.

**A/N: Hehe, well there we go! First chapter of a new story, already full of drama… but don't worry! It'll all have a happy ending…or will it? Hmm…**

**Only time will tell! So if you want to find out what happens to Kairi, as well as how Sora will cope now that he's free of the Asylum, then please leave a review, and I will post the next chapter as soon as I can, and hopefully some of your questions will be answered!**

**Thanks for reading the first chapter, and remember to review! **


	2. Shattered

**A/N: Hehe, I am so glad to be writing a sequel to LDMYC! It feels so good to be writing with these characters again, like stepping into a pair of comfortable but sexy heels, haha!  
Thanks you everyone who's reviewed, favourited this story or added it to there story alerts. You're all stars! I love you all and you all get cake! You can choose vanilla or chocolate. Or both XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I don't own any of the characters, come to think of it, but I do own the story-line, so you no touch!**

**.xXx.**

After the film was finished, Sora decided that he was ready for sleep. Throughout the whole film, Rinoa and himself talked, discussing anything and everything. It didn't really matter what was said; it was the fact of sharing information, of learning more and more about each other. Rinoa said she was going to stay up for a bit longer, since she wanted to ring one of her friends, Leon, and then she'd come up. Yawning, Sora ascending the stairs, still able to see Rinoa lounging on the sofa, reaching out to grab her phone. He smiled to himself as he reached the landing. She was nice; a lot nicer than he was expecting. He could see himself being able to have a good relationship with her, and a feeling of safety that was always lacking when he was under his fathers roof.

"Hey Rinoa, where's the up-stairs light switch?" He shouted down the stairs, standing on the landing in the darkness.

"Run your hand along the wall," she shouted back up. "You'll find it." He did as she said, and his fingers finally touched the plastic of the switch. He clicked it, and blinked as the lights came on. He yawned, and headed for the bathroom. It was strange, this being able to come and go as he pleased. At the Asylum, he'd have to ask to go to the bathroom for whatever reasons. He knew well enough that he wasn't expected to ask such things of Rinoa, but still. It was a strange development.

Five minutes later he padded back out of the bathroom, his face slightly damp from a washing, his breath minty and his eyes drooping. As he crossed over to his bedroom door, her could dimly hear Rinoa on the phone to her friend. He lent over the banister, and whispered softly down the stairs, "night, Rinoa."

He turned again and quietly opened his bedroom door.

"Night, Sora," came a quiet reply from the floor below. Smiling slightly to himself, Sora shut his bedroom door with a click, and shrugged out of his shirt and jeans. He threw both items of clothing over his end bedpost, and rummaged in the drawers looking for a pair of comfortable jogging pants that he liked to sleep in. He grumbled slightly as his hands brushed other t-shirts; he had no idea where anything was, thanks to Kairi's tidying.

"Kairi, you are truly something," he muttered to himself, smiling as he saw all his clothing folded neatly into piles. He slid the drawer back into place, and opened the one beneath it. Ah, this one was full trousers, pants and jeans. Extracting a black pair of baggy jogging pants, he pulled them on, and clicked off his bedroom light.

He felt his way over to his new bed, and threw back the thick blanket as he scooted underneath it. He pulled the quilt up to his chin, and sighed contently before rolling onto his front. His eyelids fluttered over his intense blue orbs, before finally shutting, and Sora fell into a deep slumber.

.xXx.

It felt as if his head had only just hit the pillow; a harsh yellow light flicked on, jerking Sora from the land of dreams to harsh reality. And it was about to get much harsher.

Sora felt someone shaking his bare shoulder, and saying something to him in a panicked voice. "Sora! Sora, wake up!" Rinoa pleaded, pulling the blanket from her nephew. He groaned at the sudden change in temperature, and curled up into a tighter ball. Rinoa continued to shake his shoulder, frantically yelling his name, " Sora, come on! It's Kairi…"

_It's Kairi…_

Sora's eyes snapped open, his wide black pupils dilating as the light from the room entered them. He turned and looked at Rinoa. She was in a pale pair of blue pyjamas, her dark hair hanging limply over her shoulders, slightly frizzy from sleep. Sora swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked up at Rinoa.

"What's happened to Kairi?"

"I'll explain in the car. Just grab some clothes, some shoes and meet me downstairs. And don't go back to sleep!" she babbled, turning to look at Sora and she ran from the room to her own. Sora stood from his bed, and quickly pulled on his jeans that he'd worn that day. Shaking his head, he looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was ten minutes past midnight. Shaking his head, he opened his wardrobe and pulled a white hooded-jumper from it, a keyhole blazoned in black on the front, with black lines circling the chest and back. He pulled it on over his own bare chest, his crown pendant falling from against his skin and poking out of the top of his jumper. He pulled open one of the drawers, and pulled a pair of socks from it, and pulled them onto his feet, followed by his white trainers. Running his hand through his chocolate hair, his normally well tamed spikes a large bush on his head, he hurried from his room and hurried down the stairs, tripping on the steps. He yelped, but managed to catch himself and stop him from kissing the wooden floor below. He took the remainder of the steps more slowly, and looked back up the staircase.

"Rinoa? Where are you?!"

"I'm just finishing up! Go in the kitchen and take one of your pills, there's some orange juice in the fridge if you need it."

"What pills?"

"No time Sora! I'll explain when we get back, just take one please!"

A confused look on his face, Sora headed down the small hall to the kitchen. He clicked the light-switch, his eyes still tender from the bright lights. He opened the fridge and pulled out the carton of orange juice, and looked around for the pills Rinoa had mentioned. A small pot on the table looked promising. He walked over and lifted the pot to eye level, giving it a little shake, listening to the pills inside rattle.

"Xanax," he muttered quietly to himself as he read the label. "Two to be taken daily, in the morning and evening." shrugging, he popped the lid of the top of the pot with his thumb, and shook out the small white pill. He placed it on his tongue, and followed it with a swig of orange juice. He scrunched his face up as the pill went down; even though he'd taken the pill with some juice, it didn't mask the taste.

"Nasty, huh?" Rinoa asked him, looking bemused, but still nervous. She was wearing a creased pair of jeans and trainers, as well as a tank-top and jacket. Her long dark hair was gathered into a messy ponytail at the base of her head, loose strands falling over her face.

She grabbed her keys from by the microwave, and bustled Sora out of the kitchen and back into the hall. She threw open the front door and ran out into the night. Sora slammed the door after him and hurried down the path after his aunt.

"Rinoa, you said you had a car!"

"I do, it's parked down the street in the lot. It's where everyone on this street parks their cars so the road doesn't get cluttered. Sora, hurry up!"

Sora burst into a small jog, catching up with Rinoa who was walking very quickly. She grabbed his elbow and pulled him down a small alleyway between two identical white houses. The alleyway opened up onto a small lot, with at least fifteen cars parked up. There were a few street lights dotted around, casting small circles of light over some cars. Rinoa continued to drag Sora over to small silver car. She pushed a button on her key ring, and the car beeped loudly as it unlocked. Rinoa released Sora's arm as she went around the front of the car and flung open the drivers side door. Sora opened his own side and ducked into the front seat. The two slammed the doors together, and pulled the car buckles around themselves. Rinoa pushed the key into the ignition, and reversed out of the lot and down the empty street.

Sora lent back into his seat and rubbed a hand over his face, and pulled the hood of his jumper up to hide his messed up hair.

"Ok Rinoa. What's happened to Kairi?" she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she looked up and down an empty road before taking a left. Towards the hospital.

"Kairi's mother called me around 20 minutes ago, and she sounded pretty shaken up. After Kairi called her from ours saying that she was coming home, Mrs. Utari only imagined that she'd be around 10 minutes walking home-"

"Yeah yeah, I get that bit. Rinoa, what's happened to Kairi?"

"I'm getting to that part! After Kairi hadn't come home after half an hour, Mrs Utari started to worry. It was around 10 past 11 at that time, about the time you went to bed. Mrs. Utari went out looking for Kairi, and found her a street away from home-"

"_Rinoa, what's happened to Kairi?!"_

"She-she's been attacked Sora. She's in the hospital now. She woke up not long ago and was asking for you. That's when her mother called me, and I woke you up, and here we are."Sora slumped back into his seat, his eyes staring blankly ahead. _No…_

"Sora? Please talk to me."

"Can you drive any faster?"

"No, I'm on the limit, I'm going as fast as I can. Don't worry, we'll be there in five."

Sora covered his face with his hands for a moment, before removing them and continuing to stare blankly down the road. This wasn't happening. Things like this just didn't _happen_ on Destiny Islands! People didn't go around attacking each other, it was a peaceful world.

Rinoa was biting her lip nervously as she turned into the hospitals large parking lot. Sora instinctively looked to his right; he could see the Asylum, with it's tall white walls surrounding the building, the large metal gates designed to keep intruders out…and inmates in.

Rinoa pulled the car into a space close to the main entrance to the hospital. She switched off the engine and yanked the keys out of the ignition as Sora was already out of the car and making his way up to the glass revolving doors of the hospital.

"Sora, wait!" Rinoa yelled, jogging to catch up with the teenager. She pushed open the doors and found Sora stood motionless in the entrance hall. She nervously walked up to him, and put her hand on his arm. "Sora, you ok?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, his face white as a group of nurses walked past them and down a corridor, holding polystyrene cups of steaming coffee, exhaustion on all of their faces. "I just…I don't do too well in crowds."

"I know hon," Rinoa soothed, rubbing Sora's arm lightly as she looked around for a receptionist or doctor. "Aerith told me all about your condition…and past. That's what the pills are for, though I'll go into more detail later. Let's try and find Kairi."

Sora nodded, and began walking aimlessly down one of the corridors, Rinoa following close behind. It was strangely quiet, though at quarter to one in the morning, it was to be expected. Sora rubbed his arms subconsciously as they walked down the empty corridors; it was too quiet, and the corridors were too long. It was creepy.

"Oh look!" Rinoa suddenly burst out, making Sora jump. "Sorry," she muttered hastily, and dragged Sora through a door into someone's office. There was a glass window set into the door, and through the window Rinoa had seen a doctor.

"Excuse me sir?" she said politely to the doctor. He turned and looked at them, a kindly smile on his face. "I'm sorry to burst in on you like this, but my nephew and I were wondering whether you could help us."

"I'll do my very best ma'am," he said warmly, walking around his desk to stop in front of them. "I'm Dr. Nomura."

"Rinoa Heartilly," said she, holding out her hand for the doctor. He took it and shook, and his eyes locked into Sora's. Surprise flitted across his face.

"Why, young mister Hikari!" he exclaimed. "It's been a while son."

"Yes sir," Sora said quietly, giving the doctor a small smile. Rinoa raised her eyebrows, her eyes flicking from Dr. Nomura's face and back to Sora's.

"Oh, I met young Sora here last year when he came looking for his mother," Dr. Nomura said. "And if I remember correctly, he was here with a very pretty young red-haired lady."

"Please, do you know where Kairi is?" Sora blurted out, taking his eyes from the floor and up to the doctors face. He looked surprised.

"She's here?" He asked, and Sora nodded. "Hmm, I'm afraid this is the first I've heard of it. I'm aware that she has a mother that works here, correct?" Sora nodded, and Dr. Nomura took a small PDA from his pocket. "Yes, a very good doctor, very good… Dr. Utari? Yes, a young Sora Hikari is in my office, looking for your daughter. Would you please come down and escort him and his…aunt?" he questioned, looking up at Rinoa for confirmation, which he received, " his aunt to her ward? Thank you."

He placed the PDA back into his pocket, and sat himself behind his desk. "Would you both like to take a seat while you wait for Dr. Utari?"Sora and Rinoa sat down in the two plush seats before Nomura's desk. Sora twisted his hands in his lap, his thoughts on his best friend. Who had done this to her? Was she ok? Would she be ok? He picked at a loose thread in his sweatshirt until Rinoa reached across and pulled his hand away. He gave her a distracted smile. Nomura cleared his throat slightly, and the two looked up at him.

"So, I take that you're staying with your aunt at the moment Sora?" he asked good-naturedly, placing his fingertips together and surveying the both of them over the tips. Sora nodded. "Hmm, interesting. I feel it is my duty to tell you Sora that your mother has been here asking for you-" Sora gasped, his heart lunging in his chest, "- And it is my understanding that she wishes for you to go back under her care now that your stay at the Asylum is complete. Oh, you'll find that I know a lot of what happens over there Sora, since I'm one of the directors. I will admit that I know little about your past, so I am unsure on whether this is news to you, but I felt you should know."Sora turned to Rinoa, looking horrified. She was biting her lip again, but she gripped his hand. Sora turned away from her, and her other hand reached out and cupped his cheek, turning his face back towards her.

"Hey, look at my face; You are never going back to my good-for-nothing sister, you hear me? She doesn't deserve to be called a parent, and I swear to you now Sora, that I will fight for you, if you want me too, ok?"

Sora looked up into her determined face, and nodded. He smiled at her, and she returned it, that determined look still blazing in her eyes. Dr Nomura was looking at them, his head cocked to the side. Rinoa looked and Sora, who cleared his throat and looked up at Nomura.

"My mom and I don't get on well," He explained, and returned his gaze back to his lap. "I don't wanna have to live with her again. I want to stay with Rinoa."

"I don't think I'm the person you should be telling, Sora," Dr. Nomura said gently, a small smile on his face. There was a gentle knock at the door, and the three people looked at the opening door. A kindly looking woman stepped through the door, dressed in pale green scrubs, her dyed blond hair tied up into a messy bun. There were dark shadows around her usually merry hazel eyes, and she looked worried.

Sora stood up and walked over to her.

"Mrs. Utari, What's happening with-?"

"I'll answer your questions as we walk, Sora. Are you Miss Heartilly?" She asked, and Sora's aunt nodded, and held her hand out, a strained smile on her face.

"Call me Rinoa," She said, and Kairi's mother shook, a small smile on her face. She quickly ran her hand through her hair, smiled at Dr. Nomura, and headed back out of the office and down the corridor. Sora looked over his shoulder briefly. Nomura smiled at him.

"You know where I am Sora, if you need me," he said warmly. Sora nodded, and followed Mrs. Utari and Rinoa.

"Is Kairi ok?" He blurted out, hurrying to catch up with the two women. He trotted beside Kairi's mother, and looked over at her, his face transformed with worry.

"She'll live," she said shortly, gnawing on her lip. "But she'll be in trouble for a while."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, whoever attacked her certainly pulled out all the stops. Her kneecap is shattered, and her leg broken. Her shoulder was dislocated, her left arm fractured, a few broken ribs and slight swelling on the brain. The swelling has gone down now, and her shoulder's been popped back in, but it's her ribs and kneecap that'll cause her the most trouble. We'll have to operate and replace her knee with a plastic one, and she'll have to re-learn to walk," Mrs Utari finished, her eyes tearing up. Sora wanted to reach out and touch her, to try and tell her that everything would be ok. But how could he say that when in his heart he didn't believe it?

Mrs. Utari turned onto a quiet ward, with the lights dimmed. Sora blinked as they stepped from a well-lit corridor to the near-dark ward. The sound of people breathing surrounded the three as they walked down the ward. Kairi's mother turned and pressed her finger to her lips as she indicated for the other two to be as silent as possible. She then crept across the middle section of the ward, where six beds were curtained off, the inhabitants sleeping behind them. Sora and Rinoa followed silently, and saw that Mrs. Utari was tiptoeing to the far wall where the private rooms were. There was a dark mahogany door, with a small round window set in it. Hanging beneath the window was a small white board, reading;

_Patient: Kairi Utari  
__Date of Birth: 4__th__ April 1992  
__Doctor: Dr. J. Utari_

"Are we allowed to go in?" Sora asked quietly, trying to see into the room through the window that Mrs. Utari was currently blocking. She quickly glanced through the small glass porthole, and nodded. She reached for the door handle, but held it shut for a moment.

"You must be quiet Sora. And remember, you can't stay long," She warned. Sora nodded, and looked back at Rinoa. She sighed, and looked up and down the silent ward.

"Would you mind if I went back to the café at the entrance Sora?" she asked, biting her lip; the ward was creeping her out slightly. "I'll get some coffee, and I'll come back. I'll be around ten minutes, if Mrs. Utari would join me?"

"Please, it's Jinmei, and I'd be happy to," she said, a small smile gracing her delicate features. "Is ten minutes long enough Sora?" The boy bit his lip, wanting longer, but he knew when to not push his luck. He nodded, and the two women set off back the way they came, whispering quietly together. Taking a deep breath, Sora re-faced the door in front of him, and quietly opened the door. He stepped through, closed the door behind him, and stared at his best friend.

He could hardly tell it was Kairi. There were wires stuck to her temples, attached to a small bleeping machine, and an IV was sticking out of her left arm, leading to a small bag of clear liquid that stood beside her bed. Her left arm was cast and in a sling across her chest, which was heavily bandaged. But it was her face that shook Sora the most; her normally clear and ivory skin was blotted and purple from bruises, her eyes were surrounded by black rings and numerous cuts were on her right cheek, as if her face had been rubbed across the ground. Her mutilated leg was cast as well, and slung in the air to remove all pressure from it.

As he stared at his ruined best friend, Sora felt a rush of anger that he hadn't felt in a long time. Who _dared _lay a finger on this girl, his best friend, his angel? Who thought they had the right to cause her pain, one who was so selfless and pure? His hands balled into fists at his sides, shaking slightly as wave after wave of undiluted anger swept through him, like waves.

He took a few shaking steps towards Kairi's sleeping form, and sat in the seat next to her, his back perfectly straight as he continued to take note of all her injuries. But soon, all the anger faded, leaving him feeling empty. He slowly reached out, and took Kairi's right hand in his own, stroking the back of her hand tenderly. Her crimson hair fanned out on the pillow behind her, slightly stuck together in a clump on the right side of her head. He guessed it was blood that caused it to do that, and anger flickered inside of him like a match before dissipating. There was something calming about being in Kairi's presence.

As he stroked her hand and absent-mindedly watched her, he failed to notice her eyelids flicker. A small groan echoed from her throat, so quiet that at first Sora didn't believe he'd heard anything. His blue orbs zoomed in on her face, his breath pent in. A few seconds later, and her eyelids flickered again.

"Kairi?" he said softly, watching her like a hawk. "Kairi it's Sora. Please wake up…open your eyes Kairi…"

Another small groan, and her eyes finally opened. She looked disorientated around the room for a few moments, before her eyes finally located Sora. They brightened, and the corners of her mouth twitched as she tried to smile. Sora grinned at her, though it was strained.

"Hey," he said softly. His lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently. "Nice to have you with us again Kai."

"Y-y-you came," she croaked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Shh, shh, shh," Sora cooed softly. "Don't speak Kai. Save your energy." He stood briefly and fluffed the pillows behind her, causing her to smile. He sat back down and took her hand again, squeezing her fingers gently, a small pressure which she returned. "You had me scared then for a while, Miss Utari."

Kairi's smile grew wider as he spoke, and her small pink tongue poked out between her parched lips and dampened them.

"I-I'm so-sorry," she stammered, her eyes already drooping.

"It's okay," Sora said gently, stroking the back of her hand again as her eyes slide shut. "I swear Kairi, I'm gunna find who did this. And they'll pay. I promise." Sora wasn't sure if she heard his words or not, since she went back to sleep, a small sigh escaping her lips as she descended back into slumber.

Sora returned her hand to his lips, pressing them against her knuckles as he looked at her through shining eyes, tears building at the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall. He just couldn't understand who would do this. Things like this didn't happen on the Islands; it was unheard of. So who had done this? Maybe Kairi would tell them when she woke up properly.

There was a small knock on the door, before it quietly creaked open. Rinoa poked her head through the door, two cups of steaming coffee in each hand. Sora hastily placed Kairi's hand back on the blankets beside her, and got clumsily to his feet.

"I'll be back Kai," he said quietly to the sleeping girl, before stepping out of the room. His aunt handed him one of the steaming polystyrene cups. He murmured his thanks, and Rinoa beckoned him down the corridor slightly, to the day room where the patients would spend their days.

The two each collapsed into a sagging armchair, clutching their coffees.

"How is she?" Rinoa asked nervously, peering at Sora over the rim of her cup.

"Pretty bad," Sora admitted, taking a sip of the scolding coffee. "She's real beat up. Whoever did this pulled out all the stops, like Mrs. Utari said."

"But who could've done this? Thing's like this-"

"Don't happen on Destiny Islands," Sora finished nodding at his aunt. "That's what I was thinking. So it's either someone who's finally realised they've got an evil streak, or someone from another world in our sector."

"That could be anyone," Rinoa breathed, taking a sip of her coffee. "Let's think logically; there're five different worlds in our sector right?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, Destiny Islands, Twilight Town, Traverse Town, The Radiant Gardens and Spira."

"So that's around 30 billion people," Rinoa sighed. "As well as moogles, Ronso and other different species other than human-"

"But Twilight Town and Traverse Town are the closest," Sora pointed out. "They're only a train-ride away. To get to Radiant Gardens and Spira, you need to take a Gummi Ship."

"True. So that narrows it down to something like 10 billion people," Rinoa sighed, leaning back in her chair. "It's still too many people. Sora, we may never find out who it was."

"I have to find out. I promised Kairi I'd find out-"

"The important thing right now Sora," Rinoa interjected, cutting across her nephew. "Is to help Kairi get better. That's all that matters right now. Anything else can wait."

Defeated, Sora also slumped into his chair, drinking more of the boiling caffeine drink. There were a few minutes of silence, only broken by the sounds of drinking and yawning.

Rinoa finished her coffee first, and threw the cup into the nearby bin. She stretched and rose to her feet.

"Well, we should be heading home, Sora."

"Can't I stay here? I don't wanna leave her."

"Sora, she'll be fine."

"I know. But I don't want to leave her. She looked so _small_, Rinoa. So defenceless." Rinoa sighed as she looked into the face of her determined nephew.

"Ok fine. You can stay. You've got the house number right? Call me in the morning and I'll come and get you."

"Thanks Rinoa," Sora said happily, grinning at his aunt. She returned his smile, and turned to leave. "Rinoa?"

"Hmm?"

"Why…why did you bring me straight away? A lot of people wouldn't have done that, they would have waited till morning." Rinoa chuckled softly, and walked towards her nephew. She reached up and pushed some of his unruly hair behind his ear, before saying softly;

"Anyone with two eyes can see how much you care for her. Even here, before when you were holding her hand, I knew that even if I'd refused to bring you here you would have walked." She chuckled a little louder at the dumbstruck look on Sora's face. She stroked his cheek briefly, before turning and walking out of the day room, her hands shoved deep in the pockets of her jacket.

Shaking his head slightly at the feeling of the warmth in his cheeks, Sora followed Rinoa out of the room, and looked up and down the corridor. Rinoa was halfway down the corridor, and a nurse was making her way up.

"Excuse me?" Sora said timidly, walking up to the nurse. She smiled at him good-naturedly, her arms crossed in front of her and her blond pigtails jumping on her shoulders. "Is it- Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"

"Maybe. I'm Penelo Willows."

"Ah, I met you last year. I'm Sora."

"Oh I remember you! You were hear visiting your mom, with the red-haired girl. Isn't she here now?"

"Yeah, it's what I wanted to ask you about. I wanna stay here tonight, do you have a spare blanket I can lend?"

"Oh, I'm sure I could find something," she said, winking at Sora. "Where is she?" Sora pointed to the room Kairi was in. "Ah, okay. You head on over there and I'll bring you something ok?"

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Sora whispered, and trotted over to Kairi's room. He quietly let himself in, and dragged a more comfortable looking armchair from the corner closer to Kairi's bed.

Penelo quietly entered the room, holding a blanket and a few pillows.

"Will this be ok?" she asked, handing Sora the items.

"This'll be great, thanks Penelo," he said, smiling at the nurse.

"No problem," She replied cheerily, and exited the room, closing the door behind her. Sighing, Sora sank into the armchair, slotted the pillows behind his head and threw the blankets over himself. He stretched his legs out leisurely, and closed his eyes, the sound of the small machine bleeping helping lull him to sleep.

.xXx.

**A/N: I apologise for this chapter, it's majorly weak! Seriously, I don't like this chapter, it's so badly written, way too much speech in the last part… but I have been distracted of late, though it's no good excuse.  
****Uh, reviews would be loved. Please do review, giving me your opinion on this chapter. Flames are accepted, since this isn't my strongest piece of work…yeah, I'ma shut up now, xD  
****Please review!  
****PS: The description of Sora's outfit in this chapter was inspired by a picture I found on Deviantart, and all credit goes to the artist. **


	3. Awakening

**A/N: Thanks again to all who have reviewed the first two chapters of this fic, and it's so nice to see some old faces from "Love Doesn't Make You Crazy!" Thank you so much to those who previously reviewed LDMYC, And I hope you're enjoying the sequel, as well as you new readers, also! You are all incredibly super-cool!**

**I'm apologise for that totally random Authors Note, I guess I'm feeling hyper, hehe! And I'm also sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I've had really bad writer's block, but I'm back! Yay!**

**Ok, drabble is done, time for story! Please enjoy!**

**.xXx.**

It was 5:57 am.

Sora's peaceful dream was pierced by a ear-splitting scream of absolute terror. His crystal-blue eyes flew open, and his body jolted from the armchair he was reclining in as if he'd just received a strong electric shock, and he only just saved himself from falling to the floor.

He stood up to his full height, the scream still ringing in his ears as the screamer drew in a deep breath to continue they're cry fearful cry. Sora staggered to the door, and flipped the light-switch. He raised a hand to cover his eyes as bright light flooded the room, and the screaming began once again. His heart leapt as he looked over to the hospital bed, where his crimson-haired friend was sleeping and regaining her strength.

Her head was tossing from side to side, as small whimpers and screams slipped between her cracked lips, the bruises on her face having finally turned purple and blue. her unbroken arm on top of the blanket, her small hand clenched into a fist, her fingernails digging into her palms, putting small cuts into the delicate flesh. Another scream flew from her mouth, and Sora bolted to her side, sitting on the bed beside her and drawing her to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and whispered quietly into her ear, feeling helpless that his friend was suffering these demons where he could never help her. Kairi's hand found it's way to the front of Sora's hoodie, and clenched tightly at the material, leaving tiny bloody prints on Sora's chest.

Looking around the room desperately, Sora saw a small remote connected to the wall by a cable. He reached out and pulled it from the holder. On it was a small red button, and Sora pressed it, assuming it would bring some nurses to them.

Kairi screamed again, her body shaking, trying to free herself from Sora's grasp. He put his mouth to her ear.

"Kai, it's ok, it's Sora, I'm here, nothing can hurt you, not anymore…"

A nurse pushed the door open, and rushed to Sora's side. It was Penelo.

"Oh Kairi, what's up madam?" she said, sounding aspirated, but she winked at Sora to show she was only joking. Another nurse followed Penelo into the small room, and she checked over the machines Kairi was hooked up to as Penelo knelt by the bed and checked Kairi's vitals as she shuddered.

"What's the matter with her?" Sora asked fitfully, watching Penelo with anxious eyes.

"She's having a nightmare, Sora," Penelo said, standing and putting a hand on Kairi's shoulder and proceeded to try and shake her awake. "And that's to be expected after what's happened to her, dont'cha think?"

Sora nodded, and looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms, biting his lip. Small whimpers escaped her lips as she slowly began to awaken. Her violet eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at Sora, looking confused.

"Sora? Where am I? What are you doing in my room?" she asked, sounding confused and sleepy.

"You're not in your room, Kai, you're at hospital, remember?" Sora said gently, smiling at her and giving her a small squeeze. Kairi looked confused for a few more moments, then her eyes widened. She looked up at Sora, then at the two nurses, and her eyes began to well up with tears.

"Hey, no need to cry, Kairi," Penelo said gently as tears escaped Kairi's eyes and fell down her swollen and bruised face. "It's ok, you've done nothing wrong; it was just a nightmare."

"B-b-but I don't r-remember it!" She said frantically, clutching Sora and burying her face in his chest. He hugged her gently, resting his cheek on the top of her head, looking at Penelo. She smiled at him, and rubbed Kairi's back gently. "What's happened to me?" she said, sounding muffled against Sora.

"We don't know, Kairi," Said Penelo quietly. "We were hoping you could tell us. Someone's hurt you badly, Kairi, and we need to find out who it was, so he or she can be punished for doing this."

Kairi was silent for a few minutes, listening to the steady beat of Sora's heart; Sora, who had his arms around her, Sora who was with her in hospital when he could be home in bed, Sora, her best friend, and she felt so home in his arms…

"I'm sorry. I don't remember who did this, and I don't remember this nightmare either. I'm sorry to wake you all."

"Nah, we were awake anyway. A nurses jobs is never done and all that. You try to sleep now, Kairi. Guaranteed there'll be no more nightmares tonight." With a swift smile to the two teenagers, Penelo and the other nurse, who had decided that all the equipment was working as it should be and Kairi was doing just fine, walked out of the room and closed the door behind themselves.

Yawning loudly, Sora settled against the pillow of Kairi's bed, and she rested her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry Sora…" she said sleepily, as she fell back to sleep.

"It's ok Kairi," Sora said, sounding just as exhausted, his eyes slowly closing. "I'm gunna fix all this, Kairi. I'll find this guy, even if I have to visit every world there is…"

With one more jaw-cracking yawn, Sora closed his eyes and began to descend back into his pleasant dreams, though his unconscious thoughts often turned to the sleeping girl beside him, where he would wake up and watch her sleep for a few moments, deep worry lines in his forehead as he contemplated ways of helping her.

**.xXx.**

**A/N: Only a short chapter, I'm afraid, sort of a filler, but still important! I'm sorry that you had to wait for this little snippet, but take heart! More will soon be on the way!**

**Thanks for all your continued support, and see you all soon!**


	4. Broken Again

**A/N: It's been a while, huh? I'm really sorry about HOW LONG that I've been missing. Seriously, I am one-thousand times sorry. It's just that time of the year where every sixteen year old in the UK (and USA, or wherever you are!) needs to knuckle down and revise. Yes, it's GCSE time for me. Coupled with a crippling case of Writer's Block and a new-found love of all things Anime, you get my prolonged absence. But I return! With a new chapter for you all! Please do enjoy, and I'm once again sorry for my absence! **

**Disclaimer:**** Come on people. Do you really think that ANYONE on this site owns anything that they write about? Truly? Yeah, didn't think so. I don't own, let's leave it at that, 'kay?**

.xXx.

2am.

Sora once again found himself blessing the coffee machine at the bottom of the ward Kairi was on as he was once again escaping sleep at the early hours of the morning. Running a hand through his drowse-tousled hair, He inserted the munny-crystal into the slot, and pressed his finger onto his preferred caffeine drink. Yawning, he turned and lent against the counter, his elbows propped on the edge. He smiled blearily as a nurse walked past him, a pitiful smile on her face.

"Having trouble finding sleep again, Sora?"

"Um-hmm," he hummed, smiling at the woman as she bustled down the corridor and turned into a section of the ward to check on all the sleeping patients. Jumping slightly, Sora turned as the coffee machine choked into life, spitting out the dark brown liquid the teen was craving.

Taking the warm cup in his hands, he walked slowly down towards Kairi's room, careful to take small steps so his white sneakers wouldn't squeak on the lino floor. He pushed the door to Kairi's room open, and slipped inside.

For the first time that week, Sora was confident that she would sleep right through till morning, since she was becoming as exhausted as he was. Sure, she didn't have the thick dark circles that surrounded Sora's eyes, nor did she yawn every five minutes, but Sora could tell that she was getting ready to drop.

Lowering himself into the cushy armchair next to Kairi's bed, Sora put his feet up on the small foot stool that one of the nurses left him and threw his blanket over his legs and torso. He was really starting to get a bad back from spending nearly every night crammed in the chair, but it was necessary for him to be at the hospital if Kairi needed him. More often than not there was no need from him, but he liked being there with her, just in case.

Sipping his steaming coffee, Sora sighed as quietly as he could, and lent back in the chair, his eyes unfocused as his mind wondered, as it usually did on evenings (or early mornings) when sleep evaded him. His eyes roamed the small room, which was now slightly more personalised in the week that Kairi had spent in it; She had an extra blanket folded over the hospital one, in a bright pink; cards and small posters littered the cork boards on either side of her headboard, and the small bedside table next to her held a huge bouquet of flowers from all her friends, as well as a fruit bowl overflowing with grapes, which were now getting a bit overripe, since Kairi didn't actually _like_ grapes.

True to his aunts word, Sora had started school on the Monday after his release from the Asylum. Coupled with his worry for Kairi and his downright fear of attending school the next day, Sora didn't get any sleep that night, and spent the early hours of the morning pacing his room and shooting his school uniform dark looks every now and then, as if it was the fabric's fault he would be soon swept into a huge building with over one thousand strangers. But he needn't had worried; as he was sat in Rinoa's kitchen, trying to swallow a bite of toast with a sandpaper mouth and throat, there was a knock on the front door. Rinoa yelled that she would get it, and as Sora turned back to his toast, hoping that his aunt's friend would go straight into the living room, he heard rapid footsteps approaching. A moment later he felt two arms snake their way around his neck and hug him tightly as long hair tickled his neck.

"Morning Sora!"

"R-Rikku?"

"Yup! Since it's your first day, I thought I'd walk to school with you! Ain't I nice?" she twittered, pulling out the seat next to Sora and dropping herself in it, a large grin on her face as she stole a piece of toast from Sora's plate. He grinned back at the girl, and lent back in his seat, the tightening in his chest that had been present since he brought the school uniform the day before finally loosening a degree.

Rikku hummed thoughtfully to herself, as she chewed Sora's toast slowly, looking the boy in question up and down. Feeling a little strange under her scrutiny, he cleared his throat.

"Uh, Rikku? Why're you looking at me like that?"

"That uniform looks good on you Sora, but something's not quite right. Stand up a minute," Rikku ordered, also rising to her feet. Cautiously, Sora stood. Rikku walked closer to him and loosened his tie, so that the knot was about an inch lower than it should be. She then had him roll his sleeves up to his elbows and un-tuck his shirt. Grinning, Rikku pulled a black sweatband from her wrist and slid it onto Sora's.

"Perfect!" she said triumphantly. "It didn't suit you, wearing the uniform properly. No-one really does."

Chuckling, Sora smiled widely at the blond girl, who returned his grin and busied herself in his aunt's fridge, searching for the orange juice. Sora lent against the kitchen table, watching her as she pulled out the carton and poured both herself and him large glasses. She handed him one and clinked her glass with his, saying "cheers!" and drained the glass in one. Sora drank his drink more slowly, as Rikku disappeared into the hall to grab her bag, as well as Sora's.

"Come on Sora, we're gunna be late!" she scolded, bouncing on the balls of her feet as Sora deposited his breakfast dishes in the sink beneath the large kitchen window.

"Ok, Rikku, I'm coming."

"Good, now let's get this show on the road! Later Aunt Rinoa!" Rikku shouted cheerily over her shoulder as she pushed the front door open and stepped out into the morning sunshine.

"Have a good first day, Sora! Have you got your pills?" Rinoa shouted from upstairs, where she was getting ready for work.

"Yeah, see you later!" Sora yelled back, fishing into his pants pocket and pulling out the small container filled with the tiny precious pills. He popped the top off the pot and placed one of the white capsules on his tongue, then swallowed, grimacing slightly. Rikku watched him, fascinated.

"Hey Sora, what are the meds for?"

"They're anti-anxiety pills. They'll help me chill out and not be so freaked out by big crowds."

"Ooh, I see. Well, if they help you then I guess that they can't be too bad. Besides, I think you're gunna need'em for when we get to school, it's a pretty big place. But don't worry," she added hastily, noticing her friends face pale. "I'll look out for you. So will the rest of the guys. Hell, Kairi'd kill us if we let anything happen to you while she was in hospital!"

The two teenagers walked down the street, Rikku chattering non-stop, trying to cool Sora's nerves. It was a nice thing for her to try and do, but as the school came closer and closer, Sora became more and more withdrawn, his eyes downcast. Rikku lent forward, and peered up into his face. She pushed her arm through his, smiling at him encouragingly, and pulled him across the school yard, over to the benches which were in the shade of a huge willow tree.

"See the picnic benches over there?" Rikku said, pointing. "That's were we all meet in the mornings. When you start coming to school by yourself, you can meet us all there. We hang around till the bell rings, then go to form room and classes. I'll come with you to get your timetable and form room when the bell goes, 'kay?" she said cheerily, flashing Sora a peace sign with her fingers, and dragged him over to the bench that was mostly hidden in the shade of the Willow. As usual, Tidus and Yuna were there, talking quietly. Yuna looked up and saw the two approaching, a smile spreading across her face as she nudged Tidus in the side. He also spotted Rikku and Sora, and he grinned widely, walking towards them.

"S'up Sora?" He said lightly, grinning at Sora as he clapped him on the arm. Sora beamed back, and headed over to sit with the two of them; He'd gotten on well with the couple, since he'd spent a lot of time with them at the concert the year previous.

"First day, Sora," Yuna said quietly, looking at Sora with her techni-coloured eyes. "You nervous?"

"A little," he answered truthfully, looking at his hands. Rikku slapped his back, causing him to jerk forward.

"You'll be fine Sora! You've got us!" She said proudly. "We'll take care of you!"

.xXx.

And Rikku was true to her word; She went with him to get his timetable, and was ecstatic to find that he would be in the same form room as herself and Kairi, when she was out of the hospital. After that, he was spared the embarrassment of having to introduce himself to his class when Rikku bounded into the room and shouted to everyone, "Hey guys! Meet the one and only Sora!" and then proceeded to drag him to his seat, his facing shining red. Okay, so maybe he didn't _really_ avoid getting embarrassed. At least no-one would realise how cripplingly shy he was.

As Sora and Rikku pooled over his timetable, Sora let his friend's words wash over him and she shouted happily whenever she saw she was in one of his classes (which luckily happened often), and his mind turned to Kairi. How would she treat him when she got out of the hospital? He didn't think that she would change that much; Kairi wasn't like that. But if they were spending at least six hours a day with each other, then surely their relationship would change _slightly? _Smiling to himself, Sora shook his head slightly and turned engage with Rikku. He was thinking about Kairi for thinking's sake, and he knew it.

Sora was surprised at how easily he fitted into school life. Most of the students pretty much ignored him, except for his small group of friends, who would surround him from the rest of the student body like a big, friendly barrier. And Sora was fine with this; he liked all of Kairi's friends, and the fact that they had excepted him without question and complaint last year was a gift that he wasn't going to complain about.

He was lucky enough to have at least one of them in each of his lessons, mostly Rikku, but he had Geography with Pence and Art with Yuna. At lunch they all sat together, pushing two tables together so that they would all fit. Rikku, Paine and Yuna went to collect all of their lunch, so Sora was left to sit with the rest of the group. Once again, he couldn't find anything to complain about.

At the end of the day, Rikku walked home with him.

"So what do ya think, Sora?" she said happily as they walked down the street, her hands clamped behind her back as she lent forward slightly so she could see into his face. He smiled at her and pulled his backpack more securely on his back.

"It was okay."

"Only okay?"

"Better than I was expecting, to be honest."

"And it'll only get easier from here on out!" She said, grinning as she lightly punched him on the arm. Chuckling, he reached out and ruffled her blond hair, and she pouted up at him as her hand automatically rose to straighten her tresses.

"Thanks for everything today, Rikku."

"Don't mention it. I'm your friend, it's what we do."

"Hmm, guess so. You wanna come in?" he said as they reached his gate.

"Nah, I gotta get home, my mom wants me to go shopping with her," Rikku said, grimacing. "Can I come for you in the morning?"

"Sure, I'll see you then."

"Cool, see ya!" Rikku said, reaching to give him a hug before taking off down the street, looking back to wave as she rounded the corner.

Still smiling to himself, Sora turned and made his way up the porch steps and through the front door."Rinoa? You in?"

"Hey Sora! I'm in the kitchen," came the reply of his aunt. Sora followed the sound of her voice and found her cooking, her back to him as he sat at the table. "So how was your first day?" she asked, turning and placing her elbows on the counter as she watched her nephew.

"It was… surprisingly good," Sora said, a wide smile on his face.

.xXx.

Sora jolted awake as a small sound reached his ear, slopping stone-cold coffee down his trouser-leg.

"Oh, for-"

"Sora," said a light voice, sounding as if she was trying to stop herself from laughing. "I can only imagine what phrase was going to come out of your mouth then!"

Rolling his eyes, Sora placed the now almost empty cup on the floor and looked over at the crimson-haired girl in the hospital bed, her hands laying on the top of her covers, her eyes glittering and a small smile on her lips. She looked very pale, and slightly thinner than usual, but she was healing well, the doctor had said. Her fractures were all set, her bruises and cuts were fading, and the operation to replace her shattered kneecap had been a big success, and she would be going to a physiotherapist later that week.

"Yeah, you'll have to keep imagining, miss Utari," Sora grumbled, swiping at his trouser-leg and shuddering as the cold liquid dribbled down his leg. "My favourite pair of jeans, too…"

"So? You've got other pairs."

"I know, but these were good to wear all week!"

"Ew, Sora, you're such a grub!" Kairi giggled, tucking her crimson locks behind her ears. "You couldn't go get me a coffee, could you?"

"But Kairi…" Sora whined. "Then everyone else'll see me…"

"Please, Sora?" Kairi said softly, looking up at him through her eyelashes. _Damn that girl_, Sora thought to himself grudgingly as he began pulling himself from his armchair, trying to ignore the girls triumphant smile. _She knows I can't say no to that look…_

"Thank you Sora!" She chirped after him, causing him to grumble. But she still saw the smile on his face as the door swung shut behind him. Grinning smugly to herself, she pulled her pillow further up against the headrest of her bed, and placed her hands behind her head. She turned slightly and looked out of the window, feeling optimistic; it was only a matter of time before she started re-learning to walk. Not that she'd forgotten of course, but she'd be needing help, what with her new knee and not having taken three steps since the attack…

Shaking her head, she tore her eyes from the beautiful day outside and removed her hands from the back of her head and put them in her lap and stared at them. She didn't want to think about her attack; she dwelled on it enough at night, why should she have to suffer through it in her waking hours too?

"One coffee for miss Kairi Utari," Sora said, walking into the room backwards, holding two steaming cups in his hands. "two sugars, milk- hey Kai, you ok?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm fine," she lied, pasting a smile on her face and reaching for the cup. "Just a little tired. But this'll help, thanks a lot Sora."

"No worries. You sure there's nothing bothering you?"

"No, I'm fine, promise." Kairi took a sip of her coffee, and sighed contently. She really needed that coffee. The doctors had told her she wasn't allowed it, and so this was the first one she'd had in days. Of course, Sora didn't need to know that coffee was off-bounds…

"So, you're first session soon, huh?" Sora said, lowering himself back into the low armchair and sticking his coffee-covered leg out straight in front of him, his foot disappearing under Kairi's bed.

"Yup."

"You nervous?"

"A little."

"Don't worry about it. It'll all be fine. And if not, then it can only get better, right?" Sora encouraged, smiling. Kairi nodded, a warm feeling blossoming inside her that had nothing to do with the steaming caffeine drink in her hands. Sora was always doing that, making the best out of a bad situation… it was one of those things that she loved about him, that made him her best friend…

"Oh, it's ten. Rikku'll be here soon, I'd better get going."

"You don't have to go, Rikku and I won't be doing much that you'll get in the way of."

"Kairi, I have coffee all down my leg. It's cold, uncomfortable, and I'm starting to get sticky. Seriously, I don't mind taking off for a while. I'll come back tonight, and I'll bring you some good food, 'kay? I'm betting you're getting pretty sick of this hospital food."

"Tell me about it! Can you bring McDonald's? Oooh, get me a Big Mac meal, will you? Large everything, I'll pay you when you get here."

"Don't be daft, it's my treat. I'll see you later 'kay?" he said, standing up and placing his coffee on Kairi's bedside table so he could give Kairi the embrace she was holding her arms out waiting for. He smiled as he retreated, took his coffee in hand, and ventured out into the corridor and headed down to the entrance.

"Sora?" he raised his gaze from the floor, and saw Rikku running down the corridor towards him, her bright blue converses squeaking loudly on the floor. "You takin' off so early?"

"Spent the night here again. I gotta go change anyways. I had an accident this morning. I spilt coffee down me," he sighed, as Rikku raised her eyebrows, her green eyes flicking to his crotch. He turned and showed her the dark stain on his left leg.

"Ooooh. I was thinking you're a little old for stuff like that, aren't you?" she giggled. Sora rolled his eyes, but a small smile was on his face. "You're aunt's waiting downstairs. She got here as I did. She was gunna come looking for you, but I was coming up anyways."

"Rinoa's here? Did she say why?"

"Nope. Maybe she's come to pick you up?"

"I usually walk, that wouldn't be it. I better go see what's up. I'll see you later Rikku," Sora said distractedly, and heading down the corridor, Rikku's farewell echoing behind him as he turned the corner.

.xXx.

Sora walked into the waiting area by the entrance of the hospital, grumbling as he swiped at his left leg. The denim was sticking to his skin and it felt gross. Rolling his eyes and sighing, he looked up and saw Rinoa sat in the corner of the room, wearing a plain white shirt and black skirt. Her long brown hair was tied into a messy ponytail, and her eyes were clouded with worry and anguish as she twisted her hands in her lap.

Cocking his head to the side slightly, Sora hurried over to her. When she didn't seem to notice him there, he reached out and touched her shoulder, shaking her gently.

"Rinoa? You ok?"

"S-Sora?" she whispered, raising her eyes from the cheap carpet and locking them with her nephews. Sora knelt in front of his aunt, looking up at her, his face a mask of worry.

"Yeah? What's the matter Rinoa?"

"Sora…I'm s-so sorry…" she stammered, her eyes welling with tears as she bit her lip to stop herself from sobbing. Feeling utterly freaked now, but still not comfortable with prolonged contact, Sora placed a comforting hand on her arm. This only upset her more, as tears fell from her eyes.

"Rinoa, you're freaking me out. What's happened?"

"It's your mom-"

"What about her?"

"She's- she's applying for custody of you…"

Sora snorted, and offered a smile to his aunt. He remembered the state his mother had been in when Kairi and himself had visited her last year. He hadn't gone again. The last he heard, she was in some health clinic somewhere."Is that it? That's not so bad, she'll never get it. She's not fit to look after sea-monkeys, let alone me. Don't get so worked up about it, Rinoa."

"But Sora, you know how this new government is working. Since the mayor was overthrown by those extremists, all kids have to be raised by their parents, no matter how incapable they are."

"Well, so what? I'll be eighteen next year, then I'll be an adult and I can move back in with you. Right?" he added nervously, earning himself a small giggle and nod from his aunt, who was wringing her hands in her lap more and more violently.

"S-Sora, there's more." The boy in question felt like an ice cube had dropped into his stomach at her words.

"What?"

"It's your father-"

For Sora, it was as if everything went black and white; all the colours of the waiting area faded, leaving him with nothing but a dull roaring in his ears, the tangy smell of his own blood in his nose as all his senses revelled in the terror that those three words put in him.

Sora's eyes widened disbelievingly, as he gently shook his head from side to side, as if denying her words would make whatever she was about to say untrue, since anything about his father was going to spell trouble for him.

"What about him?" he said softly, absolute terror clear in his tone, as his eyes fell to the patched carpet between his knees.

"He's applying for parole. He's got all these lawyers working on his case, he- Sora, he might make it."

"B-b-but the judge said- he said he'd be put away for good!"

"I know Sora, believe me, I know and I'm going to get you a case as well, but with this new governor, anything's possible-"

_This _isn't_ possible_… Sora thought distractedly, his hand falling from Rinoa's arm and landing with a thump on the pale carpet. It was like the sea; a great tidal wave of black water was roaring in his ears and crashing around him, no sound or feelings reaching his consciousness as he descended deep inside himself, the sound of his own crying from years ago coming to him like it was coming from the other end of a tunnel, as if it were happening to him right there and then…

"When would he get out?" he managed to choke out, his voice sounded dead and dry.

"…September."

It was late January now. So Sora still the rest of the year before he was sucked back into hell…

"Sora? Look at me," Rinoa said thickly, reaching out and grabbing his chin gently, and lifting his face to look at hers. Her lashes were spiked with tears, and there were tear-tracks down her face, but she looked determined, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I'll fight for you Sora. I promise. There's no way that he'd get out-" she said lamely, her words lacking the luster that would convince Sora that what she was saying was the truth, "-but if he did…then I'll fight for you. I won't let you go back to that monster, Sora. I know we haven't known each other long, but even I'm better than that, right?"

A small smile flicked the corners of Sora's mouth up as he met his aunt's gaze.

"Do you even have to ask?"

She smiled back at him, till the tears overwhelmed her again, and her face crumpled as she threw her arms around Sora's shoulders. He flinched and tensed for a few moments, his arms locked down at his sides, but he slowly raised them, and patted Rinoa on the back.

"It's- it's ok, Rinoa… we'll get through this…"

"So brave…such a brave boy…not fair…"

"Yeah, I know."

After a few minutes, Rinoa finally composed herself and released her slightly shaken nephew, wiping her eyes (and nose) on the back of her hand.

"Well," she sniffed, straightening her coat and looking anywhere other than the teenager that knelt in front of her. "Y-you wanna go home?"

"Sure," Sora breathed, getting up and stuffing his hands into the large pocket of his hooded sweatshirt. He followed Rinoa out of the hospital, and paused. Taking a deep breath, he turned and looked at the building, and looked up to the third floor, fifth window to the right. _Kairi…_

Letting out the breath he was holding, he lengthened his stride to catch up with Rinoa, who kept glancing over her own shoulder to make sure that he was following. Not that she would blame him if he ran; she had dropped a bomb on his life, and everything that he'd been working for was on the brink of crumbling, leaving nothing but an empty shell once more.

.xXx.

**A/N: Man it felt good to write that! Seriously, I don't know how the hell I've not written anything for ages… well, writer's block, exams, but I digress.**

**I once again want to apologise for my disappearance, but I hope that this chapter was good enough. No matter what your opinion is, I'd be over the moon to hear it.**

**Love to you all!**


	5. Tentative Steps

**A/N: Man, you guys must all hate me! I'd hate me too, what with the promises of speedier updates, and I've kept you waiting AGAIN. All I can say is that I'm sorry, really really sorry. Please don't kill me! A new chapter maybe make up for it? **

**Note:**** I had a review for the last chapter saying that the idea of Sora's father being released from prison was a highly unlikely scenario. After looking back over what I'd written, I have to agree with them. Dunno what I was thinking when I wrote that! However, ****Craxuan,**** your review has made me think of a whole new way for the story to go, and it's even better than what I had planned before! So thank you for the slap which I bloody needed!**

**This chapter is dedicated to you, In apology for my brief loss in sense!**

**Disclaimer:**** Short and simple, since this Authors note has been pretty long; I don't own. **

**.xXx.**

"Another coffee, Rinoa?" Sora asked softly as he poked his head around the door of his aunts room. The curtains were drawn, and the only light came from the computer screen that Rinoa was currently squinting at, scrolling as she read page after page of Destiny Island laws. She turned from the screen and saw Sora, and smiled at him.

"That'd be great, Sora, thanks," she said, handing him her mug as she turned back to the small screen.

"So, uh, how's it going?" Sora asked, leaning against the desk, his arms crossed across his chest, the flower-patterned mug hanging from his fingers. He was proud of the fact that he'd kept his voice level this time. For the last couple of days, Rinoa had been searching the internet on the laws that were being pasted in Destiny Islands, as well as the older ones that had been in place for years. Each evening, Sora would come in and ask her how it was going, to which she would answer, "gettin' there slowly, hon."

Then, feeling crestfallen that there were no solid results, but the small ball of tension that had been at his core since the day he found out that his father could be out on the streets again less than two years after his imprisonment, loosening slightly, Sora would leave the room, go to his own, and lay awake for a few hours, before falling into a light and uneven sleep. The nights he spent at the hospital with Kairi were no better. He hadn't told her yet; it felt to him that he'd be letting her down, after all the work she put into convincing him that his father deserved prison. Still, if he didn't manage to sleep at the hospital, Kairi was easier to convince than Rinoa was; she would notice his panda-eyes in the morning, and the worry that would always be on her face was more than Sora could bare sometimes.

"I think I've got it this time, Sora," Rinoa said slowly, pulling Sora from his inner musings. He shook his head slightly and bent down to look at the computer screen over Rinoa's shoulder.

"For real?!"

"Yeah," she said again in the same thoughtful voice that she used before. She was wrapping a section of her hair around her pinky finger and biting her lip, scrolling the page down slightly as she read. Sora didn't interrupt her, but tried to keep up with her reading, though he felt completely lost and could find nothing that would help him mixed in with all the legal mumbo-jumbo. "See, here," she said suddenly, high-lighting a section of the page. Sora read the paragraph slowly, muttering the words under his breath which cause Rinoa to smile as she lent back in her chair and placed her two hands at the base of her spine, pushing on it to lessen the pain that was plaguing her as she spent night after night sat in front of her computer. Still, a small amount of pain would be worth it, if it helped Sora in the end. It'd had taken her longer to find the law she was looking for than she previously thought, since a law this stupid about something so serious should've been pretty advertised. But, considering that something like Sora's case was so rare, the law had been pushed to the back, where it was gathering dust. Nevertheless, it was still there. She had found out that the law itself hadn't been touched, and hadn't been taken in when the rest of the laws of the islands were being updated. This meant that it wasn't in the main government website when Rinoa had checked before going to collect Sora when she first told him. This is what led her to believe that Sora would have to go back to his mother, with his father joining her when (_If,_ Rinoa told herself firmly. _If._) he got out of prison.

"Uh, Rinoa? It's all legal crap to me. Put it in simple words."

"Sora, don't swear. All it means is that _if_ your father is realised from prison, then there's no way the courts can put you under the same roof as him. Which is what should've been put in the newly updated website in the first place, but I digress. However, if you're mother applies for custody and wins, then you will have to go back to her."

"But the last I heard, she was in the wacky shack," he said, smiling grimly at the irony of the sentence as he sat on the edge of Rinoa's bed, cupping his chin with a hand and swinging Rinoa's mug. She took it from him, smiling, and placed it on her desk, then swivelled her computer chair so she was facing him.

"She was in a sort of rehab relaxation clinic, Sora. She was stressed out when your father was finished with her-"

"Pfft, I went to see her, she was way more than _stressed out-_"

"-never the less, Sora, she was let out about two weeks ago, and they've said that she's completely cured, but she'll have to attend counselling sessions twice a month."

"Wait, you _knew_ about her being in a wacky shack, her being let out and you didn't tell me?"

"A rehabilitation clinic, Sora, and yes, I knew. I'm her sister after all. I signed the papers that put her in there to begin with."

"Still, that doesn't explain why you didn't say anything," Sora grumbled, crossing his arms again and pouting slightly. Rinoa laughed at his face, and reached out to pinch his cheek. Sora swatted her hand away, a smile on his own face as he waited for her to answer.

"I…I didn't think it was that important. You were happy here, school was going well and we were getting on fine…you told me that you didn't want to go back and live with your mom, so I didn't think it was important. But if you were only saying to make me feel better, and you do wanna be with your mom, then I can hand custody back-"

"Rinoa. I meant it when I said I wanted to stay with you. I like it here, and I like you," he said simply, linking his fingers together and placing them behind his head, looking at the wall as a small blush crept across his cheeks. Rinoa smiled warmly at him, and turned back to the computer.

"Well then. It's settled. You want to stay here, then you will. Simple. I'll start preparing the paperwork, and when you're mother says she's taking you back, I'll fight her."

"You seem to be pretty good with all this law stuff."

"Didn't I tell you I always wanted to be a lawyer? Anyway, time for bed, Sora. Don't groan at me, mister, I know it's the weekend but you're going to the hospital to help Kairi tomorrow, and you'll need to be rested, won't you? It's her first steps tomorrow, a big day huh?"

Sora nodded, and patted Rinoa on the shoulder as he left. "G'night, Rinoa."

"Goodnight, Sora" she said softly as she opened a new web browser. Sighing she reached for her coffee mug, and tsked when she saw that it was empty. "That boy…didn't even get me my coffee…"

(**A/N: Sorry, it's a bit of a weak correction of my mistake, but slightly more realistic, right? Don't worry, there's loads of lovely twists that branch off this, so please stick with me to see them! Craxuan, thanks again! Anyways, back to story, sorry to interrupt ^-^ ) **

**.xXx.**

"So? Did you sleep well last night?" Rinoa asked promptly in the morning as her nephew staggered into the kitchen, his hair a complete mess and dressed the T-shirt and shorts he preferred to wear to bed. Rubbing his eyes with the heel of one hand and yawning loudly, he fell into a chair at the table, and placed his chin in his palms as he watched Rinoa fill the coffee maker.

"Better than the last couple days," Sora mumbled, closing his eyes. Rinoa smiled as she put bread into the toaster, and took a seat across from the tired teen. It was obvious to her that he'd been sleeping rough; his eyes were now beginning to resemble those of a raccoon.

"Why'd you think that is, Sora?" she asked a few moments later, going over to the toaster to collect their breakfast.

"Hmm…Probably b'cuz I don't have to worry about my father anymore," he muttered sleepily, smiling as Rinoa set a round of toast in front of him, complete with jam, butter and a steaming cup of coffee. "Thanks.""No problem." Re-seating herself, Rinoa quietly consumed her toast, watching her nephew over the rim of her coffee mug with a clinical eye. He said that he wasn't worried anymore, but he couldn't fool her; she'd been watching him closely over the past few days, since she told him in the hospital, and each day he was becoming more and more unwound. He would flinch at loud sounds, like car doors slamming. He watched people warily as they walked past the house through the window, his eyes focused on them till they were out of his line of sight. All of these things had been a result of his condition, and they had been under control, and he didn't do them anymore. Whether this development was subconscious or not, Rinoa could see her nephew falling apart at the seams. And it scared her.

"Sora? You're still taking your pills, right?" she asked suddenly, noticing unhappily how he jumped slightly at her voice, his eyes wide till they met hers. He smiled (a smile so forced it looked like he was wearing a mask), and nodded.

"Yeah. I could do with a refill though. Could you get me one?" He asked, his mouth full of toast, a small fleck of strawberry jam at the corner of his mouth. Rinoa tapped her face, and he wiped his own with the back of his hand.

"Of course Sora. Just… make sure you keep taking them, okay?"

"Uh, sure Rinoa. I'm gunna go shower and get ready to go to the hospital. Could you give me a lift?"

"I see no problem with that. You go get ready, and we can go," she said, giving him an encouraging smile, before gathering his now empty plate and mug and dumping them into the sink along with her own. She placed her hands on the rim of the sink and sighed, her head hanging low before she brought it up and stared out of the window.

_He was walking to the hospital before,_ she thought to herself sadly. _I didn't realise it would effect him this much…. Heh, who am I kidding? That monster scarred him for life, of course he's panicking now that there's talk of him possibly getting out. The sooner I get full custody of him, the better._

After doing the dishes, Rinoa wandered into the living room, which now showed signs of another person living in the house other than herself. Sora's CD's were piled around her stereo, the cases open and the CD's gathering dust on their mirrored surfaces; DVD's she'd never dream of watching were now neatly stacked beside her TV, each one having been watched at least once in the past couple of weeks.

But the biggest difference of all, Rinoa thought, a small tugging at her heart as she stood lent in the doorway, was his place on the floor in front of the sofa. Although his favourite hoodie was slung across the back of the seat, he didn't much like sitting up on the sofa with her (_probably too close and personal yet,_ she thought ruefully, a small smile tugging on her face at the thought), but he was quite happy to sit on the floor in front of her, just to the side so she could see the television. A large, floppy blue pillow was slumped on the floor, with a small cork coaster beside it where Sora would leave his drink. A few magazines were splayed there too, several of them about movies, but the majority about music. It was _him_, it was Sora's essence, summed up in that tiny space, and the thought of that gone was enough to bring tears to Rinoa's eyes. She didn't realise how long she'd been living alone, and how nice it was to be with family again.

Sora came down the stairs a few minutes later to see his aunt stood in the same place, chewing on a fingernail as she stared into the living room. He walked up beside her, and looked in curiously, looking for whatever it was she was looking at.

"I can clean up later if you want, Rinoa," he said as he walked past her to collect his black and white hoodie. "It's mostly my mess anyway."

"No, Sora, it's fine. I was just looking at how you've made your impression in the house," she said truthfully, smiling as his freshly washed and gelled head popped out through the neck of his hoodie. He grinned at her as he stuffed his arms down the sleeves and pulled the hoodie down. With a practiced flick, he pulled his crown-pendant out from under his hoodie so it bounced on his chest.

"Ready when you are, then, Rinoa," he said comfortably, though Rinoa thought she saw him eye the door with a small amount of apprehension. She watched as he fumbled in the large pocket of his sweatshirt, pulled out his small tub of pills, and flipped one into his mouth, dry-swallowing it with a small shudder. He turned and smiled at her cheekily, before pushing the door open. Sighing, but with a smile on her face, Rinoa followed him out, locking the door behind her.

.xXx.

A surprise awaited Sora at the hospital; a surprise in the form of a bubbly blond.

"Morning, Sora!" Rikku chirped happily, skipping towards him as Sora stepped through the revolving doors and into the reception, her gold and red scarf flying out behind her. Looking back through the spinning glass, Sora watched Rinoa drive down the hospital's winding driveway. Just past her car, he could see the wall that separated the asylum from the main hospital building.

"Hey Rikku," Sora greeted her, smiling as they began their walk to Kairi's ward. "I wasn't expecting you to come visit Kairi till later this afternoon."

"I managed to convince my mom to postpone our shopping trip till tomorrow so I could be here with Kairi. It's going to be tough for her; she's not taken two steps since the accident, you know?"

"It wasn't an accident, Rikku, she was attacked," Sora said softly. Rikku startled, and began to open her mouth to apologise, looking horrified when Sora raised his hand, an amused look on his face. "It's cool, Rikku. I know what you mean. Go on."

"Uhh… As I was saying, she's not walked since her attack. And they had to do a pretty big operation, you know? A whole knee replaced…but Kairi's a fighter. If anyone can fully recover from something like this, it'll be Kairi."

Sora nodded in agreement, noticing Rikku's slightly pink-tinged face and feeling slightly bad. It wasn't her fault, it was only a slip of the tongue. Still, saying it was an accident insinuated that there was no-one to blame, which Sora knew was far from the truth. The thing that bothered him, however, was the fact that if Kairi's best friend had made a simple slip of the tongue, stating her injuries as accidents, how many others would be thinking the same too? No-one that saw her would be able to think so, but not many police officers had come in to talk to her. And from what he could tell, they weren't searching for the culprit as much as Sora thought they would…

It wasn't long before the two of them were turning onto the quiet ward, both smiling at the nurse that was on duty (since he was spending more time there than any of Kairi's other friends, Sora was able to name each of the nurses). Rikku sped up to approach Kairi's door before him, heading straight in.

"You all decent, Kairi?" he heard her say before the door swung shut. Shaking his head, he knocked on the door. Rikku pulled it open, grinning widely. Kairi was sat on her bed, fully clothed and looking slightly pale; She was dressed in a pair of dark red silky pyjama's with a fluffy white dressing gown over the top. She smiled as Sora walked in, and swung her legs slightly with nervousness.

"Morning, Kai," Sora said, taking his usual place in the armchair next to Kairi's bed as Rikku sat down next to the redhead, bringing her legs up and crossing them. Kairi nodded at the two of them, and looked at her hands in her lap, chewing her lip as she did so. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah," she said in a small voice. "Just a little nervous, I suppose."

"Aw, don't worry Kairi!" Rikku said encouragingly, putting her arm around Kairi's shoulders and giving her a little shake. "You've got nothing to worry about. It's gunna be a piece of cake for you, you know?"

Kairi giggled, nodding. Sora grinned at the two girls, settling comfortably in the chair, locking his fingers together and placing them behind his head, closing his eyes.

"What time's your specialist coming down, Kairi?" he said, eyes still closed. There was a slight pause, and Sora smiled inwardly, imagining the look of concentration on Kairi's face, the slight tilt of her head, and the way she placed a finger on her chin…

"Uhh, about eleven, I think. We've got about half an hour before then."

"Feel like hobbling down the corridor and getting us all coffee?"

"Sora! It's a big day for Kairi!" Rikku said scandalously, Sora easily imagining her expression as well. He cracked an eye open, his smile widening as the look he'd imagined was replicated on the blonde's face. Kairi sniggered, before gesturing to Rikku to wheel her wheelchair over. Rikku nimbly hopped off the bed and did so, helping Kairi lower herself into the chair.

"Okay, you lazy bum, we'll be a few minutes," Kairi said, trying to sound annoyed, but failing. Sora winked at her, before closing his eyes again.

"Take your time," he muttered. "Just…close the door after you, okay?"

"Umm, sure Sora. Come on, Rikku." Chewing her lip nervously as she shot a look at the brunette before wheeling herself into the corridor. She waited as Rikku shut the door with a quiet click, and Rikku grasped the handles on the back of Kairi's wheelchair and pushed her down the corridor. Kairi took in a breath to tell her friend to not be stupid, that she could wheel herself…but she had more important things to ask her.

"How's Sora doing in school?"

"Um, okay, I guess. He's really quiet, but it's to be expected, you know? The only people he really talks to are Riku, Gippal, Yuna and me. Oh, I'm not saying that he doesn't talk to the others," She said hastily as Kairi turned in her chair to look at her. "But if given the choice, he prefers to talk to us four. Well, Riku, if you really want the truth; those two have really hit it off. It's hard to find one without the other these days outside of class. I'm glad he's found himself a really good friend who's a guy…but I was hoping he'd become more…I dunno, outgoing?"

Kairi steeped her fingers, lost in thought. She also thought it was nice that Sora had found a male he could get on with well, since she knew he had few and far between in his life….other than Roxas, whom he didn't talk about much.

"That wouldn't be Sora though, would it?" she said in answer to Rikku's question as they pulled up near the coffee machine. Rikku flicked the machine on at the wall, since the nurses hadn't gotten around to it yet, and the girls waited for the coffee-maker to warm up. "He's always been quiet and reclusive…he just seems worse recently. He just seems more jumpy, and more scared of people. Have you noticed?"

"A little, now that you mention it. I thought those pills of his would help that?"

"They do. But still, something's a little off with him, but I don't know how to ask him. I don't think he's sleeping well, either. Something's definitely up."

"He's been falling asleep at school, so I know what you mean," Rikku said sadly, pulling three polystyrene cups from the holder beside the machine, and slotting one in to fill with coffee. She handed the now full cup to Kairi, who wrapped her hands around it. "Maybe you should talk to him later?"

"I will," she sighed, taking a sip of the drink, as Rikku handed her the other two, and began pushing Kairi back towards her room. When they pushed the door open, they were greeted by a snoring Sora, his head thrown back and mouth wide open. Stifling giggles, Kairi reached forward and gently snapped his jaw closed, her fingers lingering on his cheek before she pulled back. Smirking, Rikku helped her friend back onto the bed, and sat crossed-legged beside her once more. "Don't wake him up," Kairi warned, watching his chest rise up and down with each breath. "If he's sleeping as bad as those panda-eyes suggest, then it's best if we let him rest."Rikku nodded, and a comfortable silence fell between the girls, sometimes broken by a snort from Sora. Kairi propped her chin in a hand, and watched him, wondering what was bothering him. There had never been any secrets between the two of them; after all they'd been through together, they were too close for there to be. Still, he was keeping something from her now, and she wanted to know what it was.

There was a gentle knock at the door, and at the sound of the rapping, Sora jolted awake, sitting up in the chair as if he received an electric shock. Groaning, he covered his eyes with his hand as the two girls laughed at him, and a good-natured looking Dr. Nomura poked his head around the door.

"My, my! We're a happy-looking bunch this early in the morning!" He chortled, coming in the room and closing the door behind him.

"Sorry, doctor. It's Sora's fault!" Rikku stuttered, getting her giggles under control. Kairi nodded, and Sora smiled weakly before focusing his eyes on the floor between them. Kairi noticed him do so, the small nut of worry gnawing at her belly.

Smiling, Dr. Nomura entered the room, closing the door behind him and clasping his hands behind his back. Kairi's heart thudded loudly as she watched him.

"Okay then, Kairi, you know that today's the day. The first day on your road to recovery, although the progress you've made over the past couple of weeks has been astounding. We're all very proud of you," he said kindly, his eyes twinkling as Kairi's cheeks flushed. "Now then, if you'd like to come with me. Your two friends are welcome to come too, although I'll have to ask them to sit outside the room we'll be using, because although they'll be a pleasant distraction for you, you will have to focus all your attention on the physiotherapist who will be trying to help."

Kairi nodded, and with Rikku and Sora's help, slid from the bed and back into her wheelchair. Rikku quickly drained her coffee and threw the cup into the small bin beside the door as Dr. Nomura opened and held it open so Kairi could wheel herself through. Sora followed the three, his head lowered, his own heartbeat loud in his ears. He remembered a different time at the hospital, when Kairi convinced him to come and see his mother. She was there for a similar reason; a beating, though by a man she thought she trusted, other than a violent stranger. The thought of going back to his weak-willed mother made Sora's stomach turn. _But maybe, _he thought to himself as Nomura led the three teenagers to the room where Kairi's physiotherapist was waiting, _maybe she'll be better without dad around. And I'm sure she'll let me visit Rinoa, as well as my friends. It's not like I'd be locked inside all the time again, not with all the work that Kairi and me have done…_

"Whoa, Sora!" Rikku said, grabbing his arm and pulling him slightly off-balance. "We've gotta wait out here, remember? Can't go around distracting Kairi now, can we?"

Sora looked up and saw that he was about to go in after Kairi and Nomura. Kairi was half-turned in her wheelchair, looking at him worriedly, chewing her lip. Sora smiled at her widely, and gave her a thumbs up.

"Don't look so worried, Kai! You'll do fine. Rikku and me will be right here waiting for you!" he said cheerily, Rikku nodding enthusiastically, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Still looking unconvinced, Kairi sighed and turned;

"It's not me I'm worried about, Sora."

Sora's eyes widened in surprise as he cocked his head to the side as the door swung shut behind Nomura. He looked at Rikku, pointing at himself. She shrugged and guided him over to a cluster of slightly battered armchairs. Sora slowly sat down in one, a look of confusion still on his face as Rikku sat across from him.

"Me? Why would Kairi be worried about me?"

"We all are, Sora," Rikku said simply, surprising the brunette and making him raise his face to look at her. "In case you haven't noticed, we've all noticed that you've not been yourself for the past couple of weeks. We all know something's wrong. So why don't you tell us? We're all here for you; me, Kairi, Riku. So come on, open up a little!" she finished, her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as she looked up at Sora's face. Sora himself was feeling a little hot under the collar, and felt his cheeks flush. Of course they'd all noticed. He couldn't hide anything from Riku, or Rikku. And if he couldn't hide it from them, then he had no chance of hiding it from Kairi, who knew him better than he knew himself. Sighing, he lent back in the chair, and watched a fly walk across the small coffee table between them as he told Rikku;

"My dad's getting out."

There was silence between the two friends as Rikku's jaw dropped, her eyes wide and disbelieving. "Well, Rinoa said he can't, but if my mom wants him out-"

"Sora, are you kiddin' me?!" Rikku shouted, jumping her feet and making Sora jump. "That's never going to happen! Not after everything he's done! What he did to you, two murders under his belt-"

"Thanks, Rikku, I know that," Sora said patiently, but his teeth gritted slightly, as he always did when Roxas or Namine were mentioned. He rubbed his temples as Rikku slowly lowered herself back in the seat, her hands clenched into fists. "Look, my mom's outta rehab. She's apparently 'fit' and ready to be among us normal people know, since she's stopped yelling at people for no reason. Now she wants me back. To be a normal family again. How long d'you reckon it'll take her to try and get my dad out to complete the picture? She'll keep going and going this she gets her way, even if it takes years."

Finished, Sora sighed, and pulled his meds from his hoodie's front pocket, and put one in his mouth, crunching the pill.

"But Sora, he was proven guilty. I don't understand-"

"Rikku, if my dad's got a silver tongue, then my moms is solid gold. You saw how he tried to talk his way out of the courts on the trial date," Sora muttered, his eyes loosing their brightness and becoming misted and distant, "She'll come up with something that makes me look like a liar. She'll get the whole case re-brought up, make me come across as….I dunno, an attention-seeker or something. She might not win," Sora sighed, leaning back into the chair with his hands behind his head.

"But there's the chance," Rikku finished, and Sora nodded. Troubled, Rikku looked over at the door that Kairi was behind. She knew that if that _did_ happen to Sora… she didn't think he'd be able to take the pressure. He'd break, and be worse off than he was before he met Kairi at the asylum the year before.

As the two teens were caught up in their own thoughts, there was a scream. Jolting up in his seat, Sora scrambled towards the room where Kairi was learning to walk. From where the scream was coming from. He threw the door open, to see her on the floor, her hands wrapped around her knee, tears streaming down her face, a scream tearing from her lips. Nomura was beside her, trying to get her to remove her hands, while the other doctor was at the wall on a phone. Without a word, Sora strode across the room, and scooped Kairi up into his arms, and took her back to her room. "Sora…it hurts so much," she groaned, tears still flowing from her violet eyes.

"I know Kai. It's gunna be ok," Sora said soothingly to her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Why did this have to happen?! Why to me! I've never done anything wrong! _Why me?!"_ she sobbed as she trembled in his arms. Still muttering quietly in her ear, Sora kicked open the door to her room and gently laid her on her bed, just as two nurses bustled into the room. One of them was Penelo.

"We can take it from here, Sora. Out you go, you're taking up space," Penelo said briskly, grabbing Sora's shoulders and pushing him from the room while the door closed with a click.

Sora sighed, and looked up to see Rikku tearing down the corridor, Dr. Nomura walking briskly behind her. He hurried towards them, a look of worry on his face.

"What happened to her?" he asked, running a hand through his spikes. Nomura took his glasses from his nose and began to clean them on his coat.

"Her knee popped out of place while she was walking. The nurses will sort her out, and probably wrap the area to stop it from happening again, although she'll need to keep off her leg for a week or so," he finished wearily, putting his glasses back on. Rikku stood watching him with wide eyes, her hands clasped over her mouth.

"Is she gunna be okay?" she whispered.

"Oh, I should assume so. She'll just be in a small amount of pain for a while- Ah, speaking of our young friend, it looks like the nurses are done," he said cheerily as Penelo and her fellow nurse left Kairi's room. Gasping, Rikku rushed in, with Sora close behind.

"Kairi, are you ok?" Rikku said frantically, grabbing her friends hand as she knelt next to the bed.

"Of course I am, silly. It's not like I'm dying or anything," Kairi said with a small smile, her eyes still looking rather watery. Sora sighed with relief, and sank into his chair, as Kairi watched him. _He's been through way more than I have, and he never screams with the unfairness of it all like I did. _Feeling slightly guilty, Kairi closed her eyes, the pain in her knee becoming a dull throb rather than the piercing pain that it was before. _I won't do it again, Sora, I promise. _

"Looks like Miss Utari could do with some rest. Maybe you two should come back later?" Nomura said quietly from the doorway. The two teens agreed, rising from their seated positions and heading for the door, looking slightly dejected. "Have no fear, I'll make sure she'll well looked after," he said warmly as he shut the door, and with a smile, walked off down the corridor.

Simultaniously, both Sora and Rikku's shoulders dropped. Catching Sora's eye, Rikku giggled and gestured towards the coffee machine.

"So, when you gunna tell Kairi about your mom?" Rikku asked as they waited for the machine to fill their cups.

"I'm not," Sora said shortly, looking down at his shoes.

"Why not?" Rikku demanded as she passed him his coffee. Cupping his hands around the polystyrene cup, Sora sighed.

"I dunno. Don't you think she's got enough to worry about right now without me adding to it?"

"She'd want to know, Sora. You know she would."

"I don't wanna burden her right now. Not after everything she's done for me. Maybe I'll tell her when she'd fully healed, but not right now."

"You better," Rikku said threateningly, shaking her finger at Sora. "Because if you don't I will. And I'm not kidding."

"But-"

_"She'd want to know, Sora," _Rikku said with finality, and got up from leaning against the wall and looked at her watch. "Listen, I better go. Remember what I said mister, and don't think I won't keep reminding you at school, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it, Rikku," Sora muttered, smiling slightly at her as she winked and wondered off down the corridor. Resigned to think of how he would tell Kairi of his new problem, Sora went into the TV room, and sat down on one of the chairs in the corner. _No point in going home. May as well hang around for a while, just in case. _Pulling a magazine towards him, Sora attempted to loose himself in it, though his thoughts were turbulent with his mother, father, and a red-haired girl just down the corridor.

.xXx.

**A/N: Way too much dialogue in this chapter! And way too much use of the word "Sighed!"**

***Sigh* Hope that this chapter didn't suck too much, and I apologise again for the sucky mistakes in this chapter and the last one. Please hang around for the next one? **


End file.
